Valiant Princess
by Cassandra.Fan
Summary: Set in a setting different from the original Soul Series. Cassandra is the sister of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Follow her as she travels the land, fights many battles, and falls in love with a knight in shining armor.
1. Cast of Characters

Alright, this is different from the original Soul Series. All non-original characters are from Namco.

* * *

Cast of Characters

Okay, before I begin this story, I'll introduce to you the main characters of _Valiant Princess_.

Cassandra Alexandra – Both the feisty and courageous younger sister of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the main protagonist of the story. She yearns for adventure and wishes not to be someone's "housewife." She aids her foster brother, Achilles, in pursuing his dream of creating a world of peace. Cassandra admires both him and her older sister, Sophitia. When she meets Siegfried, she starts to have feelings for the knight to the point that she falls in love with him at first sight.

Achilles Alexandra – Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was orphaned at a very young age, losing both his parents, who were close friends to Sultan Achelous. So the ruler adopted the young lad and treated him like his own. When he and his wife, Nike, passed away, Achilles became the new Sultan. Aided by his three foster siblings, Cassandra, Sophitia, and Lucius, Achilles hopes to create a land free of wars and suffering.

Sophitia Alexandra – The older sister of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Unlike her other siblings, Sophitia is always cautious when it comes to making such huge decisions. Often, Achilles depends on her as his advisor and strategist. Sophitia has a husband named Rothion, and together they had two children: Pyrrha and Patroklos.

Lucius Alexandra – The younger brother of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the youngest of the four siblings. Like his older sister, Cassandra, Lucius heads into battle head on and gets irritated when Sophitia scolds him. He is very loyal to his older foster brother, Achilles.

Siegfried Schtauffen – A knight of the Holy Roman Empire. He was once known as the infamous Azure Knight, Nightmare, but he has done so much to prove his good intentions to the world that Princess Hilde gave him a royal pardon and made him head of the Wolfkrone army. Since then, Siegfried vowed to be loyal to the Princess and further her cause. When he first catches sight of Cassandra, he couldn't help but feel romantically drawn to the girl.

Hildegard von Krone – Princess of the Wolfkrone Kingdom of the Holy Roman Empire. She is part of the Holy Roman Alliance, led by Emperor Iska, a very ruthless leader. Hilde believes that he is not worthy to be leader, and someday, she wishes to take his place and lead the empire in a better direction.

Nightmare – Both Siegfried's former alter-ego and leader of the Ostrheinsburg Army. Possessing the evil sword, Soul Edge, Nightmare wishes to destroy Soul Calibur, which is in possession by the Holy Roman Empire, and take all of the souls of the world to feed Soul Edge.

Tira – Nightmare's most loyal servant. She is just as merciless as her master.

Astaroth – Another servant of Nightmare. Astaroth was created by the Greek god of War, Ares, but through certain circumstances, he landed on Nightmare's side.

Voldo – A silent servant of Nightmare.

Lizardman – Once a human, but was transformed into a lizard-like monster. Now he serves Nightmare.

* * *

There's the cast. Chapter 1 should be coming in soon.


	2. Starting a Dream

Well, I took Anysia's advice and fixed the cast. So check that out if you didn't see the changes. So here's Chapter 1. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1: Starting a Dream

On the plains near the city of Athens, two warriors were readying their horses for battle. One was a 25-year-old man with long blond hair that was held back in a ponytail and sky blue eyes. He wore a white robe that was mostly covered with golden armor, along with a small crown on his forehead and sandals. The other was his foster sister, who was four years younger than he was. She had short blond hair and light green eyes. She had the same kind of outfit that her brother had, except that hers had silver armor and she wore a white headband.

"You know Achilles," the girl said, "I'm really jealous of you. I mean, you get to fight in a lot of battles, fight for the land, and then rule the land on the throne as sultan."

The man turned to his sister and responded, "Cassandra, you always wanted to fight. So I figured that now's the time. But I've been thinking. You've only been trained to fight. You don't have any experience in battle. So you might-"

"Achilles! I don't believe it! You think that I can't handle myself?! I've been trained to fight ever since I was little, so I have a lot of experience! Besides, I don't wanna be someone's housewife!"

"Hey. I didn't say you couldn't fight. But still, I want you to be careful. I don't want Sophitia to scold us for being irresponsible."

Cassandra quickly got up on Athena, her favorite white mare. "Of course I'll be careful. Now come on! We have to take back Athens from Barbaros!"

Achilles nodded and jumped on his black stallion. Then the two started to head for their army.

Eventually, the two of them made it back to camp, where their soldiers waited for them, ready for battle. When the two stopped, a young man approached them on a brown stallion. He had the same kind of outfit as Cassandra and he had a few strands of his blond hair braided.

"Big Bro! Where have you and Cassandra been? We've been waiting for you two for quite some time!"

Then a woman on a light brown mare came in. She looked almost exactly like Cassandra, except she had long blond hair and wore a crown of gold olive leaves on her head and golden armor.

"How can we have a leader who is not responsible when it comes to duty lead us?"

"Lucius, Sophitia, we're sorry that we're late."

Achilles then turned to his soldiers and shouted, "Alright men! Barbaros has taken away our hometown, Athens. So now, let us unite and take back our home!"

Then all the men raised their swords and spears and gave a powerful war cry.

"_This is it,"_ Cassandra thought to herself. _"Now's my chance to show Achilles and Sophitia what I can do! Time to show them my strength!"

* * *

_

All of the Ottoman troops surrounded the walls of the city of Athens. He planned on having Lucius and some of his men climb over the wall and open the gates from the inside. Achilles did not want the doors to be ruined when the city was his. Suddenly, the gate opened, and out came Barbaros's army. They had blood red armor, long spears, and gigantic shields. As soon as all of them were out, the gate immediately closed.

Cassandra turned to Achilles. "This should be interesting."

Achilles replied, "Yeah. Let's just hope Lucius can sneak up the wall without getting caught."

Sophitia responded, "He may be just three years younger than Cassandra, but he inherited the swift feet of the god Hermes."

_"Ugh,"_ Cassandra thought to herself. _"Her and those gods . . . She's just too loyal to them."_

Achilles then pulled out his sword and raised it towards the heavens.

"May the goddess Nike grant us victory!"

Then all of their soldiers all cried out and sprinted towards their enemies. The red armored soldiers responded by charging as well. Cassandra, Achilles, and Sophitia then motioned their horses and started towards the battlefield. The battle began.

In an instant, soldiers from both sides began to fall as they were impaled by their enemies. Cassandra immediately jumped off Athena and whispered into the mare's ear, "Go run somewhere safe."

The mare obeyed, and in an instant she sprinted away. Then Cassandra readied her sword and shield and began to fight, taking down many of the enemy soldiers.

Achilles and Sophitia, however, stayed on their horses and struck down at incoming enemies with ease. It wasn't long before archers appeared on top of the walls and readied their bows.

Achilles immediately saw them and shouted, "Shields up!"

As soon as they fired, the three Ottoman leaders and their soldiers raised their shields and blocked the incoming arrows. Then they continued their fight on the ground.

_"C'mon Lucius,"_ Cassandra thought. _"Hurry up!"_

Meanwhile, Lucius and a handful of soldiers began climbing up ladders towards the top of the wall at the side. They managed to stay out of sight of the archers, so the surprise attack was going so far, so good. The archers nearby were shocked when Lucius reached the top and began pulling out their arrows. But he was too quick as he took down the nearby archers with his two handy daggers. Then his men joined him and they charged, swiftly dodging incoming arrows and taking down every single archer. As soon as the balcony was cleared, Lucius and his men descended down near the gates. When they reached the bottom, some of the soldiers began fighting Barbaros's men as the others helped Lucius in lifting the beam off of the doors. Then they opened the gates.

As soon as Achilles saw that Lucius completed his mission, he shouted, "The gate has been opened! Everyone, let's go!"

In an instant, the Ottoman army charged through the gate and into the city. Achilles rushed towards Cassandra and lifted her up behind him on his horse. He then turned towards Sophitia.

"Cassandra and I are heading for Barbaros. I trust that you and Lucius can handle things here?"

Sophitia nodded. "Of course."

Then Achilles motioned his stallion and he and Cassandra were off. Sophitia then jumped off her mare, pulled out her sword and shield, and began fighting. With her graceful movements and strong attacks, she easily took down many enemies. But then more of Barbaros's men appeared, and she, Lucius, and men were backed towards the gate.

Lucius turned to his sister. "Sophitia?"

"There's too many of them. We-"

Suddenly, horses jumped over them and struck down many of Barbaros's men. Some of them stayed, but others continued towards the castle. Sophitia got a good glimpse of the banner they carried and gasped.

"Wolfkrone! What are they doing here?!"

Lucius readied his daggers. "Who cares, sis? As long as they're on our side, then nothing really matters."

He and their men then charged and rejoined the battle. Sophitia hesitated at first, but realized that her brother was right and joined in as well.

* * *

Achilles and Cassandra managed to get inside the castle. As soon as they got into the main hall, they were instantly surrounded.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HAA! If it isn't the foster son of the late former sultan, Achelous!"

The two siblings looked up in front of them. At the top of the stairs stood their main opponent: Barbaros. He had dark maroon hair with a mustache and beard. He wore armor that was fit for a mad ruler. His blood red eyes were filled with great insanity.

"I congratulate you for your bravery. But you are just as dumb as your father."

Achilles pointed his sword at him. "My siblings and I will not fall, and we will take back Athens! You know that I am the true sultan, Barbaros!"

In an instant, the soldiers around them readied their weapons, ready to charge at them and kill them.

Barbaros replied, "For your information, you are completely surrounded. It's best if you and your pathetic sister surrender."

Cassandra immediately jumped down and pulled out her weapons. "We'll never surrender to you, bastard!"

"Tch. Quite a feisty one you are. Very well. I'll give your brother a swift and painless death, but as for you, I'll prolong yours so that you'll remember in your last moments that no one disrespects me."

Suddenly horsemen charged in and joined Achilles and Cassandra. Among them was a young woman with wolf-decorated armor, maroon hair that was tucked within her helmet, and hazel eyes. She carried a short sword and a red spear with a flag that bears a wolf. Next to her was a knight in shining silver armor. He has long blond hair and emerald eyes. Within his left, he held a giant zweihänder.

Barbaros immediately recognized the young woman in armor. "Princess Hildegard von Krone?! Why are you-?"

"You have no honor for anyone! You are clearly not fit to be a sultan!"

The knight jumped down from his white stallion and walked up to Cassandra's side. The girl widened her eyes as she recognized him.

_"Sir Siegfried Schtauffen!"_

The young knight then spoke up. "We will aid Sultan Achilles in this fight and you shall fall!"

Barbaros then pulled out his giant ax and shouted, "Never! I shall send you all to hell!"

He then jumped from the stairs and charged. Cassandra and Siegfried sprinted towards him. Achilles and Hilde jumped off their horses and followed. The Wolfkrone got off their and engaged in battle against Barbaros's men.

As the four ran towards Barbaros, they quickly slashed at his soldiers with ease and continued on. But then more soldiers jumped from above and surrounded Achilles and Hilde.

"Damn," Achilles cursed. "Guess we'll have to leave Barbaros to Cassandra and Sir Schtauffen. But I'm worried that my sister-"

Hilde readied her weapons. "Don't worry. She has the help of my trusted knight. She'll be just fine."

As they fought the soldiers, Cassandra and Siegfried finally stood before Barbaros. The mad man pointed his ax towards the girl.

You shall be the first to fall to my ax! NOW DIE!!!"

He then raised his ax over his head and brought it down, but the girl and the knight quickly dodged the blade, landing on both sides of Barbaros. Then he turned towards Cassandra and began swinging his ax at her. But she quickly dodged each attack with ease. Seeing an opening, the girl jumped towards Barbaros and slashed her sword at his face, knocking him back.

He felt the blood that came out of his wound and his face turned red. "Why you -!"

He then started to charge back at Cassandra. But suddenly he was slashed in the back. He turned around and saw that it was Siegfried. Deeply angered, he swung his ax ferociously at the knight. Siegfried managed to block each attack, but he was eventually overpowered and stumbled back, leaving himself wide open. Just as Barbaros was about to deliver the final blow, Cassandra immediately jumped on his back and began strangling him. But Barbaros grabbed her and threw her over his head, slamming her to the ground. He then lifted his ax, ready to kill her. But Siegfried immediately swung his sword at Barbaros. Catching him off guard, Siegfried impaled Barbaros in the chest.

Barbaros grunted. "This . . . can't . . . be . . ."

Siegfried then pulled out his sword and Cassandra jumped over him. She raised her sword over her head and brought it down on Barbaros, finishing him off.

The sultan fell backwards on the ground. He then looked up as Cassandra and Siegfried stood near him. He turned towards the girl.

"To think that I lost . . . to a pathetic girl like you . . ."

He then closed his eyes and breathed his last breath. Sultan Barbaros was now dead.

Achilles, Hilde, and their soldiers then joined Cassandra and Siegfried, all staring at the dead body.

Achilles sighed. "It's over." He then turned towards Hilde. "Thank you for your help."

The princess nodded. "It was our pleasure."

The young sultan then headed towards the door and stepped outside with Cassandra, Hilde, and Siegfried following him. Achilles saw all of his men, Lucius, and Sophitia. He then raised his sword towards the sky.

"Barbaros has fallen! We've won!"

In an instant, all the soldiers cried out a shout of victory. Athens was now theirs again.


	3. Fulfilling a Vision

Okay, so a few people die here, but I'm not saying who. That's for me to know and for you to find out. Enjoy!

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Chapter 2: Fulfilling a Vision

After the Ottoman army cleaned the city of Athens and buried the fallen, Achilles threw a grand victory party in the castle's dining hall. They invited Princess Hilde and her soldiers, but she declined, stating that they only played a minor role. It was evening, and the men were eating and drinking to their delight. Achilles and his siblings sat at the main table, not eating as much as their men and keeping their minds clear to plan out what to do next.

Cassandra took a sip from her cup of wine and turned to her brother. "Congratulations Achilles. Seems like our next target is Nightmare of Ostrheinsburg. Then we'll be closer in taking control of all the land."

The young sultan turned towards his sister. "Yup. But remember, we'll still have a few enemies, like Princess Hilde. She's got a ton of strong forces on her side, like that Sir Siegfried Schtauffen."

Cassandra looked into her cup. "Sir Schtauffen . . . I wonder what he's truly like . . ."

* * *

**Earlier**

Cassandra looked around the city. She was glad that this battle was finally over.

"It looks like I now have the pleasure of addressing the younger sister of Sultan Achilles."

The young girl turned around and saw that it was Siegfried with a few of his men. She happily walked up to him.

"I must offer you my thanks. You saved my life during our fight against Barbaros, and the aid you and Princess Hilde have given to us ensured our victory."

The young knight shook his head. "No. We only played a small part. My lady, the princess calls me for duty. Farewell. I hope that we'll meet again."

He politely bowed and left with his men following him. Cassandra watched him leave and couldn't help but smile. There was something about him that truly impressed her.

* * *

**Back to the party**

Cassandra looked towards the ceiling of the castle. "That knight sure is something else. Forgive for sounding strange, brother, but he reminded a lot of you."

Achilles turned towards her with a little bit of questioning on his face. "Is that so? Well, we both do have the same hair color and style, but that's all I can think of. I can't really imagine any other reasons why he would."

"I'm not so sure myself. But still, I would like to meet him again."

* * *

**A week later, in the Romanian Valley**

It has been about one hundred years since Vlad, the Prince of Wallachia, fought against the Ottoman army on the Valley of Romania. Just a few months ago, the castle within the valley belonged to the Dark Lord, Raphael Sorel. But Nightmare devoured his soul while fighting in the valley. Soon afterwards, Raphael's foster daughter, Amy, and their servants were also killed by the Azure Knight, and their souls were also fed to Soul Edge. Since then, the castle served as a base for the Ostrheinsburg army.

The four siblings looked over the valley from their camp. Sophitia then spoke up. "If we manage to take over the Romanian Valley, we should be able to weaken the Ostrheinsburg Army, since that castle is a crucial base for them."

"Yeah," Lucius spoke up. "It should be a piece of cake."

"Should I remind you that the Ostrheinsburg's army is full of strong opponents, Lucius? Even though we're launching a surprise attack on them, we must be cautious at the same time."

Achilles turned to Sophitia. "We have something that they don't, and that is the aid of the Gods of Olympus. As long as they are on our side, then we will achieve victory."

The young woman looked up to the night sky. It was full of twinkling stars without the moon. Without its light, they were invincible to their foes. "You're right, brother."

Cassandra walked up to Achilles' side. "We're ready when you are."

The young sultan nodded. "Let's go."

Lucius and his men ran towards the river surrounding the castle and avoided getting spotted by the guards on the balcony. As soon as they went down to the river, they swam swiftly but quietly. When they found a place that didn't have any guards, they got out of the water and walked up to the castle wall. As some of his men were on guard for any enemy, Lucius and the rest of his men threw up their hooked ropes. As soon as they were tight and secure, they climbed up the wall. There were guards up on the balcony, watching for intruders. But in an instant, Lucius slew them in the neck with his daggers. Then he and his men ran swiftly to the other parts of the balcony, avoiding the light of the torches and taking down the rest of the guards. As soon as all of that was done, the men hurried down and quietly lowered the bridge. Lucius raised and waved a torch at a nearby forest where his siblings were hiding. The Ostrheinsburg army was fast asleep, so they were unaware of what was going on.

Meanwhile, in the dark forest, Achilles, Sophitia, Cassandra, and their men were waiting for Lucius' signal. As soon as they saw it, they immediately started towards the gate. When they were inside the castle, they shouted a large war cry. This woke up the Ostrheinsburg army, and they frantically tried to pull themselves together as they reached for their weapons, but they were brought down by the Ottoman army. One by one, Nightmare's met their deaths. Eventually, the four siblings reached the main hall of the castle. There, dozens of enemy soldiers were waiting for them. Standing on the stairs were two monsters. One of them was Voldo, the Silent Guardian. He had the form of a man with no hair, and his eyes and mouth were covered. His outfit was quite unusual because it exposed a lot of his pale skin. In each of his hands, he held a jamadhar katar. Beside him was a giant lizard who wielded a single-handed ax in his left hand and a shield in his right hand. Sophitia recognized the lizard.

"The monster that used to be a human. Aeon Calcos. To think that he joined Nightmare's army."

The two monsters and the Ostrheinsburg army readied their weapons.

Achilles pointed his sword at Voldo and Lizardman. "We shall take this castle and claim it as our own!"

While Cassandra, Lucius, and their men fought the enemy soldiers, Achilles went for Voldo and Sophitia charged at Lizardman. The young woman and the lizard began slashing their weapons at each other. Eventually, Lizardman overpowered Sophitia and left the woman wide open for an attack. But just as he was about to slice horizontally at her, she rolled towards his side and pierced him in the hip. As she quickly moved back, the monster cried out in pain.

_"Gods," _Sophitia prayed in her mind. "_Please forgive me_."

Then she charged in and attacked Lizardman. The monster did its best to protect himself from her attacks. However, because of his wound from Sophitia, he was limping backwards. Eventually he fell to the ground. He tried to block Sophitia's sword with his ax and shield, but the woman knocked them from his hands. Then she raised her sword over her head, having it point towards Lizardman's chest.

"I'm sorry."

Then she brought down her hands and her sword impaled the monster at the heart. Lizardman cried out in agonizing pain. But eventually his cry was silenced and the life shown in his monstrous eyes vanished. They closed as his head turned to the right. Lizardman was dead.

Sophitia got up and whispered a quiet prayer. "May you rest in peace."

Meanwhile, Achilles was battling Voldo. He was having a hard time with the monster. The Silent Guardian was swiftly attacking the sultan with such awkward movement. Every time Achilles saw an opening and slashed at Voldo, the monster would just dodge swiftly and counterattack.

_"This is bad,"_ Achilles thought. _"I have to think of something."_

Suddenly, Voldo slid behind the sultan and slashed his right katar at the back. Achilles yelped in pain as blood began coming out of his wound. But he quickly blocked Voldo's incoming attack. Then the Silent Guardian jumped and grabbed his own feet. He spun his body vertically and came down on the sultan. The young man managed to dodge, but then Voldo unleashed a powerful wave when he reached the ground and let go of his feet, causing Achilles to falter backwards.

_"Damn. He's too fast. Maybe if I could concentrate on his movements . . ."_

The young sultan closed his eyes and focused. Even though he couldn't see Voldo, he could somehow sense the monster's movements. Then the monster charged at him and attacked him. But Achilles blocked each attack with his sword. He then back-flipped and concentrated his energy towards his blade. He then opened his eyes and saw Voldo jump and ready his katars to thrust at Achilles. However, the sultan charged, raised his sword over his head, and brought it down in an instant, cutting Voldo in two.

As Achilles recovered, he saw that the two monstrous leaders were dead. They have won.

"Alright! We've won again! Victory is ou-"

Cassandra turned and saw what happened. Someone threw a spear at his chest, leaving him mortally wounded.

"No! Achilles!"

In an instant, she rushed over to her brother and caught him as he fell.

"Hang in there, Achilles!"

Her brother shook his head. "It's too late, Cassandra . . . Looks like . . . Sophitia's in charge now . . . Do whatever . . . she asks you to do . . ."

Suddenly, he closed his eyes and turned his head. Cassandra could not believe it. Achilles was dead.

"NO!!!"

Sophitia rushed to Cassandra and saw what happened. "Everyone, pull back to the camp!"

Lucius came to his sisters. He then collapsed in front of Cassandra as he looked with horror and grief of what happened. They have just lost their beloved brother.

* * *

**A few hours later, back at the camp**

Sophitia emerged from her tent. She was now the new sultan of the Ottoman Empire. At first, she was frightened, but she knew what she had to do. Things were getting out of hand, and she had to get all of them back to Athens. Suddenly, Cassandra rushed up to her.

"What are doing, sis?! How can you just forget about Achilles? Don't you mourn over his death?!"

There was a brief moment of silence before Sophitia answered.

"I do, Cassandra. But right now, the empire needs a calm leader to rule. We must save our tears for later. Understand?"

Cassandra looked down and slowly nodded her head.

Sophitia then headed towards the soldiers' camps. "We must get every soldier out of here, so that we can defend back at Athens."

Cassandra then shook her head with confusion. "I just don't get it! What should I do?"

Then she looked up towards the night sky. "Achilles . . . why did you have to leave us so soon?"


	4. On the Road to Recovery

Sorry sierraqueen. Achilles' death was part of my story. But I hope this chapter will let me make it up to you. Just to let everyone know, I'm gonna put "What to fight for" on hold for a while because I had this story in my mind for quite some time. But don't worry, I'll get back to that story soon. Hope y'all enjoy this!

* * *

Chapter 3: On the Road to Recovery

**Athens; a week after the battle in the Romanian Valley**

"Cassandra! Where are you going?!"

Lucius ran up to his sister as she hopped on Athena's back. She had supplies of clothing and food tied on the mare's sides. Instead of her armor, she wore traveling clothes, consisting of a gray tunic, dark green leggings, a brown cloak, and black boots.

"Sorry, Lucius. But I have to go."

"Go where?"

Cassandra looked up to the sky. "I don't know."

"Then why are you leaving? Sophitia said-"

The girl gave her brother a harsh look. "I know what Sophitia said!"

Lucius backed away, scared of the look on Cassandra's face. She looked down and sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. But my heart is so broken. I somehow need to recover, and it feels like staying here won't help me. So I figured that if I travel for a while, I might find a way to heal myself."

Lucius shook his head. "Sophitia is gonna have both of our heads when she finds out."

"Just tell her what I said and that I'm sorry. I won't be gone for too long, alright?"

Her brother nodded. "Alright. But promise me you'll come back unharmed."

"I promise. Let's go Athena."

The mare obeyed and galloped through the opened gate. Lucius watched as his sister rode off to the north, with the sun shining over her. He stayed there until she vanished from his sight.

"Man, how in the world am I gonna explain this to Sophitia?"

"You don't have to."

Suddenly Lucius turned around and saw that it was Sophitia. Beside her stood a man, a girl, and a boy. The man was Sophitia's husband, Rothion. He was the same age as his wife, had short, platinum blond hair, and fair green eyes. The girl within his arms was his and Sophitia's daughter, Pyrrha, and the boy beside him was Pyrrha's brother, Patroklos.

"Sister! Were you spying on us?!"

"I'm sorry about that, Lucius. But somehow, I knew all along that Cassandra would leave us for some time. It's fine with me."

"Really? You don't mind?"

Sophitia shook her head. Then Rothion spoke up. "We knew that Cassandra adored Achilles with all of her heart, and that she loved him as a brother very dearly. We could tell that losing him shook her so deeply."

"Mommy?" Pyrrha asked. "Is Auntie Cassandra leaving us for good?"

Patroklos followed. "Will we never see her again?"

Sophitia turned towards her children and answered with a smile, "Don't worry, children. We'll see her again."

The sultan then looked up the sky. _"Gods, please watch over her."_

* * *

Cassandra headed up north for a few days, stopping at a few towns along the way. Eventually, she made it to Romania, but she did not go back to that valley. The valley where she lost her brother. The castle within the valley was turned into a base for the Ottoman army, but she vowed to never step in there again.

_"I swear that I'll never go back to that castle. I just can't go there."_

Then she decided to head west, towards the Holy Roman Empire. She knew that it would be awkward entering a different empire and that people would probably be a little bit unfriendly to her, but she wouldn't mind because she wouldn't pay attention to them.

_"Nothing matters, as long as I continue down the path I've chosen."_

Ultimately, she and Athena were going on a path in a forest that was hundreds of miles past Vienna, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Cassandra figured that she would be a little bit uncomfortable there, so she decided to pass the city and continue to the Kingdom of Wolfkrone. Although she only allied with them once, she knew that they were good people and that they had a wonderful leader. Princess Hilde was truly something else, fighting for her people and bringing justice to those who did wrong. She also had the assistance of people that shared her ideals and dreams, like Sir Siegfried Schtauffen. As she followed the road in front of her, she thought of the last time she saw him.

_"Whenever his face pops in my mind, why do I have this strange feeling in my heart? It's as if I'm somehow drawn to him. I've never felt this way towards anyone else."_

Suddenly, she heard something in the trees. She stopped Athena and looked around her. She couldn't see anything, but something told her that she wasn't alone. Then black ravens flew over her. Cassandra had a bad feeling that they were a bad sign.

_"I've got to stay calm and be prepared for anything."_

There was a moment of silence, but suddenly, she heard something approach her from her right at high speed. She ducked and saw that it was an arrow with black wings as its fletching.

Cassandra gasped. _"That's how Ostrheinsburg make their arrows! That could only mean-"_

In an instant, more arrows flew towards her. Cassandra quickly ducked and motioned Athena to sprint. The mare obeyed and rapidly galloped for their lives. As they sprinted away, more black arrows came at them. Cassandra then focused her eyes on the branches and saw the archers jumping from tree to tree as they fired at her. She then pulled her bow from her back and readied her arrow.

_"Good thing I was trained with this too."_

Cassandra then aimed her bow at an archer and fired. It was a bull's-eye, and the archer fell dead. She quickly pulled out another arrow and fired at another archer, killing that one as well. Then she repeated the process again and again until all of them were dead.

"Well, that was easy. Now, Athena, let's-"

Suddenly an arrow was shot at Athena's front right leg, and the mare fell to the ground, flinging Cassandra as well. She immediately got up and rushed to her mare. Athena was still alive, but she couldn't get up. They were trapped. Realizing this, Cassandra pulled out her sword and readied her shield.

"Alright! If y'all wanna fight, then bring it on!"

Suddenly, warriors all dressed in black jumped from the branches and readied their swords and spears. Then a small girl jumped in front of Cassandra. She had very dark hair held in two wacky-looking ponytails. She wore a revealing red clown-like outfit that was decorated with green feathers at her neck and the lower part of her knees, accompanied with brown boots and a light green belt. Her eyes were purple and were filled with insanity and the desire to kill. She wielded a very unusual weapon, for it was a blade that took the form of a ring. Cassandra immediately recognized the girl. It was Tira, the second to worst member of the Ostrheinsburg army; the first being her master, Nightmare.

"Ha-ha! You're pretty dumb to come out here all by yourself! You know, you're just as stupid and pathetic as your late brother! I mean, back at that castle, he totally left himself wide open when he claimed that you guys won. It totally gave me the perfect opportunity to kill him on the spot!"

Cassandra gasped as soon as Tira finished her last line. She couldn't believe it. This mad girl was the one who killed Achilles!

"Why . . . you bitch . . ." She then took her stance. "I'll avenge my brother! I swear on my sword, I'll take you down!"

"Ooh! Getting all fired up are we? Okay then. But can you fight all by yourself? You're completely surrounded! Oh well. It'll be fun just watching you get overpowered!"

Suddenly, a few of Tira's men rushed towards Cassandra. As soon as one slashed at her, she blocked the attack with her shield and stabbed her opponent in the stomach. Then she pulled it out as she ducked from another attacker jumping above her. Before he could recover, she turned around, slashed down and killed him. Then she turned around and blocked incoming attacks from two opponents from behind. They kept on coming at her, but then she saw an opening from her right opponent and charged. While she defended against the one on her left with her shield, she swung her sword horizontally at the opponent on her right, slicing him in half. Before the other opponent could attack again, she beheaded him in an instant.

As Cassandra continued killing her attackers, Tira watched from far away, a little bit disgusted. _"What's wrong with my men? They can't handle one girl?"_ As soon as there were only a handful of her men left, she charged towards Cassandra.

The Athenian saw the assassin closing and blocked her ring blade. She then got a good look at Tira's eyes. She saw torment and pain, with no lint of love. Cassandra then understood more clearly why this girl did Nightmare's bidding with no hesitation. _"How sad . . . But I can't pity her because of that!"_

Then Tira pulled back a little and swung her blade horizontally at Cassandra, but the Athenian quickly back-flipped, dodging the assassin attack. Tira sprinted and continued her assault. Cassandra quickly blocked every attack with both her sword and shield.

"_I can't keep this up! I gotta-"_

Suddenly, one of Tira's men fired an arrow at Cassandra's right shoulder from the side. The Athenian cried out in agonizing pain in an instant. The assassin thought, _"It's about time they made themselves useful."_ Taking advantage, Tira swung her blade horizontally at Cassandra's stomach, causing the Athenian to fall to the ground.

Cassandra was in so much pain. She felt blood coming out of her stomach and her shoulder. Then the assassin stood near her head and held the ring blade over her neck, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Tell your brother I said hi when you see him in hell."

Cassandra silently closed her eyes. _"To think that I will die here, far away from home. I guess that I won't keep my promise to Lucius. Achilles . . . I'm sorry . . . I failed you . . ."_

Tira then lifted her blade, readying herself for the kill. All of a sudden, spears flew out of nowhere. Some of them pierced Tira's men, killing them in an instant and leaving her all alone. When a spear flew towards her, she quickly ducked, dodging it, and back-flipped away. Then in an instant, she was surrounded by horsemen. She looked around and caught her eye on one of them, which happened to be Siegfried. The knight pointed his sword at Tira.

"I won't allow you to take Lady Cassandra's life. I want you to go back to your master and give him a message for me. Tell him that the time is drawing near for us to face each other again."

Tira then cursed, "I guess you're letting me go. Fine. But I'm warning you. You'll regret not killing me when you had the chance."

"This isn't your time to die. Now go before I change my mind."

The assassin gave him an angry look. In an instant, she jumped high into the branches and disappeared. Siegfried immediately got of his horse, grabbed a couple pieces of clean cloth from a pouch on the horse's side, bent down, and carefully wrapped the cloths around Cassandra's wounds. After that, the knight gently picked up the girl. The Athenian weakly opened her eyes and looked up.

"Sir . . . Schtauffen . . ."

"Don't talk now. Please rest."

Cassandra then closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. The knight then turned to his men. "I want some of you to help with Lady Cassandra's horse. The rest of you, ride back with me to Wolfkrone."

In an instant, some of his men jumped from their horses and rushed to Athena, carefully treating her wound with care. Siegfried's stallion, Faust, then knelt on all four legs, allowing his master to hop on without hurting the girl. As soon as the knight grabbed hold of the reins, Faust immediately got up and galloped towards Wolfkrone. Siegfried's men then followed him immediately.

As Siegfried rushed backed towards Wolfkrone, he couldn't help but wonder why Lady Cassandra was traveling all by herself. _"Could it have something to do with the lost of her brother? Well, in one way or another, it's a good thing my men and I were here." _He then closed and whispered a small prayer. "Lady Cassandra, please hold on."

* * *

I know that I'm updating this story pretty quickly. But it's the weekend. So once it's Monday, I'll be quite busy doing stuff. But I promise that I'll update this story ASAP. Til next time!


	5. A Guest of Honor

I somehow found some free time and decided to upload Ch. 4. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4: A Guest of Honor

_Cassandra was floating in darkness all by herself. She just stayed that way, lying on her back with her eyes closed, unable to move. For her, there was no point in trying. What was the point for her? She couldn't think of a good reason. She failed to kill Tira and avenge Achilles. She failed in keeping her promise to Lucius as well. She felt no reason in living out her life. It felt so lonely without her brother._

_"I might as well join Achilles in the afterlife. I'm a failure."_

_"Cassandra! Pull yourself together!"_

_The young Athenian stood up, opened her eyes, and saw a very bright light. Within that light, she can see someone. She couldn't see well at first, but gradually, her sight became clearer and she saw who was within the light._

_"Achilles."_

_"Cassandra, this isn't your time to go. You still have a life to live."_

_"What's the point in continuing my life? Without you-"_

_"Am I the only person in the world that keeps you going? I don't think so. I mean, c'mon. There's Sophitia and Lucius, plus Rothion and the kids. Don't they motivate you too?"_

_Cassandra looked down and thought about that. He was right. They too were truly precious as Achilles._

_"And I'm pretty sure that there are other people too."_

_Cassandra looked at her brother with a bit of shock. She suddenly realized who he was referring to. Sir Siegfried Schtauffen._

_"Hey, you're right, bro. I can't leave them now. If I did, that would be so selfish of me to do."_

_"See? Looks like you now get it. Well, time for you to go."_

_"What?"_

_Suddenly, Cassandra was trapped inside a pillar of light. She tried to get out, but she couldn't._

_"Brother!"_

_"You take care of yourself now, alright?" Then in an instant, he vanished from Cassandra's sight._

_"Achilles!"_

_All of a sudden, some unknown force pushed her upwards, sending her flying. Then before she knew it, she was surrounded in a brilliant light._

* * *

Cassandra opened her eyes instantly. She took long deep breaths before she pushed herself up. She looked and saw that she was lying on a very comfortable bed with maroon colored sheets that covered her lower body. Then she realized that instead of wearing her traveling clothes, she wore an elegant whit nightgown. She then looked at her surroundings. She saw a big fireplace, a desk a dressing wall, and a small table with a basil and bowl, accompanied with a chair. Her sword and shield were laid on the chair. The walls were made out of stone. Cassandra figured that she was in some sort of castle.

Then she looked out the window on her right. It was sunrise, and the sun shined brightly on her face, causing her to squint and cover her eyes. Suddenly the door in front of her opened and two young girls dressed in maidservant outfits walked in. The taller of the two gasped.

"Oh, you're finally awake! Thank goodness! Bertha and I were worried that you wouldn't wake up!"

Cassandra took a good look at the girls. Both of them appeared to be in their teenaged years. The taller one who spoke had long strawberry blond hair and deep blue eyes. She held a brush and a few pieces of jewelry. The shorter girl beside her had short brunette hair and light blue eyes. She carried in her hands a beautiful elegant dark red dress and white shoes.

"Who are you two?"

The brunette politely bowed. "Forgive us for our intrusion and rudeness, my lady. My name is Bertha, and here beside me is my older sister, Anina."

"Princess Hilde ordered us to check on you. She also told you that as long as you are here, we are to help you."

Cassandra gasped. "What? Princess Hilde? Does that mean . . . I'm in Wolfkrone?"

"That's right, my lady," Bertha answered. She and Anina then walked up to the side of the bed. "The princess said that if you were awake, you are to wear these and join her for breakfast."

The Athenian hesitated a little bit, but then realized that it would be rude of her to decline the request of a princess, she then got up from the bed. "Alright then."

The two young maidens worked carefully as they helped Cassandra put on her dress and shoes. Then, as Anina brushed her hair, Bertha put on her jewelry, which consisted of a necklace, a ring, two bracelets, and earrings. All of them were decorated with sparkling diamonds. As soon as they were finished, they led Cassandra out of her room and towards the dining room.

The Athenian then spoke up. "How have I been here?"

Anina was the one who answered. "A whole week. Sir Schtauffen was the one who brought you here."

Cassandra was shocked when she heard those words. Then she remembered. _"That's right. He saved my life in the forest."_

Bertha then continued for her sister. "The knight was so worried about you that sometimes, he would sit by your bed and watch over you, waiting for you to wake up. He even held your hand once. We saw it ourselves!"

"Bertha!" Anina shouted. "That was really impolite of you to say!"

"Uhh . . . sorry."

The Athenian couldn't believe what she just heard. _"He sat by my side, watching over me? I can't believe it. He took care of me when I was in pain, and he acted like my guardian angel. Such a kind man . . ." _She then clasped her hands together. _"Did he really hold my hand?"_

Cassandra then asked the girls, "Do you know where Sir Schtauffen is?"

Bertha answered, "He and some of his men are scouting the area. Princess Hilde wants to make sure that none of Nightmare's men enter our territory and bring harm to the town and its people. She doesn't want anymore incidents like the one you've experienced."

"I see . . ."

Anina then turned and saw the disappointment on her face. "Don't worry my lady. He'll be back in time for dinner."

"Oh, okay."

The girls then continued on. As they walked to the dining room, Cassandra was truly impressed by the decorations in the castle; the flags with the symbol of Wolfkrone hanging above them, the armor statues that stood on both sides of the hall, and the portraits of past rulers hanging on the walls in between the windows. It was all truly amazing.

Eventually, they made it to a huge room. The ceiling had a giant crystal chandelier that had lighted candles. There was a large balcony that was across the fireplace which allowed one to see a large part of the village below. Cassandra then looked over the fireplace. Above that was a gigantic portrait of Princess Hilde. She was wielding her weapons and wore a light blue elegant dress. She was amazingly beautiful with a stern look on her face at the same time.

Cassandra then looked out in front of her and saw a long table with a long white cloth. On top of the table was so much food, accompanied with lighted candles on top of gold candle holders. The plates, goblets, and silverware were all trimmed with gold, and the plates had red napkins on them, folded in an elegant kind of way. All of this truly amazed Cassandra.

"Ah, Lady Cassandra. I'm glad to see that you're alright."

The Athenian turned around and saw that is was Princess Hilde. She had her long maroon hair held back in a ponytail. She had a white vest trimmed with gold thread and a fluffy white neck tie. She wore tight light brown pants that showed the curve of her body, along with long black boots.

_"She looks more like a prince than a princess," _Cassandra thought.

"Come and sit."

Hilde then sat at the head of the table. Cassandra followed and went for the chair on the princess' right side. Anina and Bertha pulled back the chair, and after the Athenian sat down on it, the girls helped position her near the table.

The princess then turned towards the Athenian. "I trust that these maidens helped you in the best way they could."

Cassandra chuckled a little. "Of course, your Highness."

"That's very good to hear. Anina and Bertha, you may go back to your quarters now."

The girls curtsied politely and left. Then servants from the kitchen and served Hilde and Cassandra their soups.

"I'm really surprised that you have such young yet reliable workers here, Princess."

"Actually, Anina and Bertha are the youngest out of all my servants. Those two lost their parents from a fire a few years ago."

"That's terrible!"

"Yes. But they learned such manners and are hard workers. So I decided to make them maidservants here at the castle. Now then, enough about them. Tell me, Lady Cassandra, what were you doing traveling around the Holy Roman Empire?"

The Athenian looked down at her bowl with a sad face. "I'm trying to put myself back together. My family and I are going through a rough time right now."

"I see. It must be hard to live on with your life after losing your brother, Achilles."

Cassandra quickly looked at Hilde with a look of shock. "You knew?!"

The princess took a sip from her soup. "Yes. Word can travel really fast. One of my messengers informed me a day after it happened. You have my condolences. You're free to stay here as long as you like."

"Really?"

"Of course, Lady Cassandra. After all, you're an honored guest here in Wolfkrone."

"Thank you so much Princess!"

"You're most welcome. Now, let's finish our soups before they get cold."

Cassandra nodded and began eating her soup.

After breakfast was done, Hilde gave Cassandra a tour of the whole castle. It was all truly amazing to the Athenian, for she had never been in a castle like this. Then they had lunch, followed by a long walk in the gardens. There, the two noblewomen talked about many things: their pasts, what was going on in their empires, and many other things. When the sun was beginning to set, they were at the castle gate when Siegfried and his men finally arrived.

As he got of Faust, Hilde immediately greeted him. "Ah, Sir Schtauffen! I trust that everything went well on your scouting?"

The knight bowed before the princess. "Yes, your Highness. Not one soldier of Ostrheinsburg was in sight." He then turned and saw the Athenian. "Lady Cassandra . . ."

The young girl walked up and politely bowed to him. "It appears that I must thank you again for saving me life again."

Siegfried turned his head with embarrassment on his face. "It- it was nothing . . ."

Hilde then turned to the knight. "Is that some way to say 'You're welcome', Sir Schtauffen? Well, never mind. Come. Let's go inside before our dinner gets cold."

While servants carried Faust away, Hilde, Siegfried and Cassandra all went inside. During dinner, the trio discussed how things were going in the kingdom. In the midst of all of this, Siegfried couldn't help but stare at Cassandra. She was just so beautiful. The Athenian noticed him and saw him gently smiling at her. She turned away with a blush on her face.

After dinner was finished, the princess excused herself, stating that she must attend to her duties. While the servants were cleaning up the table, Siegfried and Cassandra walked outside on a balcony. The moon was shining bright, and the stars were twinkling all across the night sky.

Siegfried looked up to the beautiful scenery in the sky. "I wonder if your brother is up there in the heavens watching over you right now."

Cassandra turned her head away with sadness. "So you know as well?"

The young knight turned and saw the sad look on her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of your pain. And I'm sorry about your loss."

"It's alright. And you're right. I know that he's up there." There was a brief moment of silence before Cassandra continued. "Did you really look after me while I was unconscious?"

Siegfried looked away embarrassed. "I suppose Anina and Bertha told you that?"

"They did. Anyways, I thank you for that." There was silence again. "You know. In a strange kind of way, you remind me of my brother Achilles."

"Remind you?"

She turned towards the knight and smiled. "Don't worry about it."

Siegfried then smiled at her. "Then I'll take that as compliment."

He then took her right hand and kissed it. Cassandra had a little blush on her face, but she giggled a bit. Then the two of them looked back up into the sky, holding hands together.


	6. Unite to Fight

Man, this one took a whole lot of time to write. But it was worth it.

* * *

Chapter 5: Unite to Fight

Cassandra stayed at the Wolfkrone castle for a few days. During that time, she visited the town, and to her surprise, the people gave her a very warm welcome and showed her around. She also spent time talking with Siegfried and learned all about his past: what his past life was, how he became Nightmare, and how he was almost killed by his alter-ego. When Princess Hilde and her army saved his life, they were really suspicious of him. But he proved his desire for redemption for all the sins he committed as the Azure Knight, which was the reason why he became Commander. After hearing all of this, she became even more impressed of the knight, and the strange feelings she had for him grew. At the same time, Cassandra was unaware of the unusual feelings Siegfried had for her.

Then one day, Hilde summoned the Athenian to the throne room for some unknown reason, which Cassandra politely obeyed. When she got there, she couldn't believe who she saw. Standing beside the princess and Siegfried were her sister and brother.

"Sophitia! Lucius!"

The older sister turned and saw Cassandra. Then the sisters ran to each other and hugged. The older of the two began crying as they embraced.

"Oh, Cassandra! Lucius have heard of what happened to you and were worried. I'm just so glad that you're alright!"

"I'm sorry sis."

Lucius then walked up to them as they let go of each other. "Heh, you should be sister. You had the whole Ottoman empire panicked and worried about you."

"Tch. Said that I was sorry. But is this the only reason why you two are here?"

Hilde joined them with Siegfried following her. "As of matter of fact, there is another reason why they are here. We have just received word that Nightmare and his men are currently near the northern border of Italy."

"What? That's just a few hundred miles south of here, right?"

Sophitia answered, "Yes. That is also not too far of the Ottoman Empire. As rulers, both Princess Hilde and I are worried that the Azure Knight would invade both of the empires and kill many people just to feed Soul Edge."

The princess then continued for the sultan. "We've both decided to join forces and drive Nightmare away. That's why she and Lucius are here, along with the Ottoman army."

Siegfried spoke up. "We cannot afford to let the people of both the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman fall victim . . . to my unforgivable past . . ."

Lucius then turned towards the knight. "Pull yourself together, man! I mean, c'mon, you're not him anymore!"

The knight looked up to the young boy and slowly smiled. "You're right. Sorry."

Hilde then headed for the door. "Now then, shall we start preparing for battle?"

* * *

**Two days later; near the northern plains of Italy**

Hilde, Siegfried, Sophitia, Cassandra, and Lucius were all together on their horses on a hill with their men behind them, overlooking a vast green valley below. The land was covered with a light fog and clouds blocked the sun from shining on the earth. They could hear Nightmare's army as they slowly marched towards them, and eventually, they came into view of the five nobles. They all just looked monstrous, as they have all fallen under the spell of the evil sword. They looked as if they were hungry for bloodshed and had cravings for killing. It was as if they were as just as terrible as their master, Nightmare.

Siegfried and Faust moved forward. "I cannot allow Nightmare to take away any more innocent lives. I'll stop him, with my own two hands!"

Cassandra strolled up to him on Athena. "You won't do that on your own. We'll help you."

The knight looked at the girl and nodded with a smile. Then Hilde, Sophitia, and Lucius joined them as they looked out in front of them. The princess then raised her spear. "We shall protect the people!"

Their men behind them replied with a loud war cry. Then the five nobles and the soldiers started down the hill and headed for the Ostrheinsburg army. It wasn't long before weapons began to clash and men on both sides began to fall and die. Cassandra and Lucius quickly jumped off their horses and started to take down many enemies. Hilde, Siegfried, and Sophitia stayed on their horses and slashed down at their opponents, killing them.

Suddenly, they heard the cry of a monster. They turned and saw a huge giant swinging an enormous war ax and flinging many dead soldiers. The monster had skin that looked more like stone with streams of lava than flesh. Also, he had some sort of orange stone in the middle of his chest, which seemed to be his heart. He had very little purple armor that covered his waist, shoulders, arms, and legs. The monster had a mouth that contained very devastating looking teeth. Finally, his eyes were a disgusting color of yellow, and they showed no signs of human.

Lucius shook as he saw the monster. "No way . . . is that . . . Astaroth?"

Sophitia nodded and pitied the creature. _"How could Ares_ _create such a monster as him?"_

In an instant, Hilde motioned her mare and headed for Astaroth. "There is no way I will let any monsters that intend to kill without mercy live! Such creatures do not have any honor!"

Sophitia quickly grabbed Lucius' hand and pulled him on her mare. Then she turned to Siegfried. "We'll go and help the princess! You and Cassandra go for Nightmare. Please protect my sister!"

The knight nodded. "You have my word."

In an instant, the siblings charged towards Astaroth. Siegfried came by Cassandra and grabbed her hand. The girl swung herself around, landing behind the knight on the back of Faust. Then they dashed away, heading for the Azure knight.

Meanwhile, Hilde, Sophitia, and Lucius have all reached Astaroth and jumped off their horses. Then they readied their weapons. As the golem watched them as they took their stances, he smirked. "I just don't get you stupid humans. You think that you're all powerful enough to kill me? Heh. Well then, I'll show all you how wrong you are!"

Suddenly, the giant lifted his ax over his head and brought it down on the trio. But they dodged and quickly ran up to the giant. However, Astaroth swiftly swung his ax as soon as they reached him. Hilde and Sophitia were thrown backwards by the impact, but Lucius quickly rolled, dodging the attack. Then he jumped onto Astaroth and quickly stabbed his left dagger into the right side of the monster's neck. Although it caused Astaroth some pain, he grabbed Lucius by the waist, swung around, and threw the boy at some distance. Lucius was severely hurt by the impact that he couldn't get away before Astaroth stomped on him with his left foot.

The monster laughed. "You think that would work? I like your bravery boy, but how would you stand up to this?"

He then got off of Lucius and raised his ax, ready to finish the boy off. But all of a sudden, a spear was thrown and it struck Astaroth in the middle of his back. The monster pulled out the spear and turned around, seeing that Hilde was the one who threw it. "Why you-"

Before he could attack, Sophitia jumped and twirled over Hilde. Having charged up her sword with the power of Zeus, she slashed at Astaroth before she landed. Because of the power, the monster was flung over Lucius. During all of this, he lost his grip of Hilde's spear. The princess quickly caught it as it flew to her in the air. "Nice one, Sophitia."

The oracle didn't respond as she hurried to Lucius' side, helping her brother up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, thanks to you."

But then Astaroth got up and readied his ax again. Sophitia and Lucius quickly backed away and Hilde readied her weapons. He pointed the head of his weapon towards the trio. "You all shall pay. No one dares makes a mockery of me! Anyone who does that dies!!"

Hilde pointed her sword at Astaroth. "Vile beast! Prepare yourself, for death awaits you!"

She then charged and rapidly swung her sword and spear at the monster. He blocked every attack with his back, but was pushed back every time she attacked. It wasn't long before Astaroth was caught off guard. Seeing the opportunity, Hilde charged up her sword and slashed at him. The golem managed to block it, but the princess broke his guard in an instant, leaving him wide open again.

"Now Lucius!"

The boy rushed to Hilde's side and threw two bombs at the giant. Once they hit Astaroth, he was flung backwards. Sophitia ran past Hilde and Lucius, charged her sword, and slashed upwards, flinging the monster high into the air. Then Hilde charged up her spear and aimed at the golem.

"Time for the final blow!"

With all of her strength, the princess threw her charged spear at Astaroth, which went all the way through the golem's body. Then he was flung far away, and after he landed, he didn't try to get up. Hilde, Sophitia, and Lucius walked up to Astaroth and examined his body. The princess' spear had pierced him in the chest, leaving a big huge hole. The monster did not open his eyes, nor was he breathing. Astaroth was finally dead.

Lucius sighed. "Man, I'm sure that's over."

Suddenly, they were surrounded by Nightmare's soldiers. Sophitia readied her weapons. "The battle's not over yet! We still have to fight!"

Hilde and Lucius nodded in agreement and readied their weapons, preparing themselves for another battle.

* * *

Siegfried and Cassandra dashed through many enemy soldiers on Faust. Soon, they were past the front line and found their target; the Azure Knight, Nightmare. The phantom was all dressed in dark blue armor with a horn on the front of the helmet. It appeared that his body was separated in two, but they were somehow held together by some sort of purple glowing sphere of energy at the phantom's waist. Around Nightmare's chest and waist were teeth that were pointed towards the sphere, making it look like a mouth of a demon. The phantom had a mane that looked like streams of purple fire, and his right arm was a gigantic claw, showing that he was a true demon. His eyes showed that he was no human, just a ghost that's hungry for souls. Within his left hand was the sword that every human feared: Soul Edge, the sword that devours souls.

Siegfried and Cassandra immediately jumped off Faust and pulled out their weapons. The knight pointed his zweihänder, Requiem, at the phantom. "Let's do this, my unforgivable past!"

Nightmare laughed an evil laugh. "Do you honestly think that you could beat me? You couldn't even scratch me last time. You only survived because those pathetic humans came and outnumbered me."

"If Princess Hilde was hearing those words you said, she would've thrown her spear at you."

"Hah! Like I care! It matters not whatever you do, for in the end you will give in to despair!"

Cassandra heard enough. "I've had it, Nightmare! I'm getting sick and tired of hearing you! Siegfried and I are gonna take you down right now!"

Suddenly, they heard a sinister voice in the air. "Stupid girl. You almost got killed by me, so you're just gonna hold your friend back. How do you expect to beat my master, especially when he has my help?"

Then Tira jumped out of nowhere and landed safely by her master's side. She then took off her ring blade and readied it for battle

The Athenian laid her angry eyes on Tira. _"I won't be a problem for Siegfried, I swear it. Besides, it's time for me to get a payback at Tira for all she has done against me, my family, and my friends!"_

Siegfried then readied his sword. "Let's go!"

In an instant, the pairs charged at each other. Soon, Cassandra and Tira were slashing at each other while Siegfried and Nightmare exchanged powerful swings with their swords. This time, the Athenian held nothing back against the assassin. She gave powerful blows that caused her opponent to falter. When Cassandra saw an opening, she swiftly swung her sword at Tira's stomach, leaving a little scar. Before the assassin could counterattack, the Athenian kicked at her with a powerful back-flip, flinging her into the air. Then Cassandra charged her sword, leaped at Tira, and slashed her with a lot of strength, flinging the assassin towards Nightmare where he was fighting Siegfried. The knight quickly noticed and backed off, but the phantom didn't react fast enough and he was knocked down by his servant.

After they both landed, Nightmare forcefully pushed Tira off. He was very annoyed of her getting in his way. "You wretched servant! If they weren't here, I would've instantly eaten your soul!"

Suddenly, the phantom quickly glowed blood red as her charged up the power within him. Tira instantly realized what he was doing and sprinted off at a safe distance.

Siegfried also quickly noticed and pulled Cassandra back by the shoulder. "Get back!"

Then the phantom unleashed his power, creating a wave of destruction. The knight quickly blocked it with his sword, but he quickly fell to his knees as guarding against it drained his energy. Nightmare quickly charged at him, but Cassandra quickly came in and blocked Nightmare's incoming attack with her shield. The two began slashing their swords at each other. Then the phantom swung his sword at the girl, but she quickly back-flipped and threw her shield at him, knocking him backwards. But before Cassandra could attack again, a ring blade was flying towards her. She blocked it with her sword, but Tira flew in and kicked the Athenian in the face, knocking her down. Catching her ring blade, she slashed down at Cassandra, but Siegfried came in and swung his blade with a powerful blow, protecting the Athenian and knocking Tira away near where her master was lying.

Siegfried pulled Cassandra up. "Why don't we finish them off together?"

The Athenian nodded in agreement. "Sure thing!"

Then they dashed toward Nightmare and Tira, who were recovering very slowly. Before the master and servant could recover, Cassandra rapidly ran past them, slashing at them in the process. Then Siegfried came in and swung his sword horizontally at them, knocking them away. The knight and the girl leaped and jumped off of them, knocking them down to the ground. Finally, while still in the air, they charged up their weapons and came down upon Nightmare and Tira, stabbing their swords into the ground and creating a giant and powerful wave.

After all of that was done, Siegfried and Cassandra saw the phantom and the assassin having a hard time recovering. Then Nightmare's eyes stared straight into Siegfried's. "Mark my words; you shall pay the next time we meet!"

Before the knight and the girl knew, the phantom grabbed the assassin and created a purple mist that surrounded the two, making them disappear. Then, when the mist cleared, Siegfried and Cassandra saw that they were gone.

The girl turned to the knight. "Should we go after them?"

Siegfried shook his head. "Let's leave them be for now. I'll get him next time."

Then Hilde, Sophitia, and Lucius appeared, having taken down a whole majority of the Ostrheinsburg army. After exchanging explanations, Hilde then turned to her army. "The Azure Knight has run away like a coward! We may not have won the war yet, but we have won this fight!"

Then the soldiers began giving shouts of victory. During all of this, Cassandra and Siegfried looked at each other and exchanged smiles. Sophitia saw this and realized that her sister had feelings for the knight that she knew too well: the feelings of love.

* * *

**A few days later, at the Wolfkrone castle**

Cassandra stood at the castle gate as she watched her siblings and the Ottoman army depart from Wolfkrone. She had no idea of when she'll see them again. But she reminded herself in her mind that she won't be alone, for she had Siegfried . . . as her husband.

* * *

**Flashback, shortly after the battle against Ostrheinsburg**

"What? You want me to become Sir Schtauffen's wife?"

Cassandra couldn't believe it. Sophitia actually wanted her to stay with Wolfkrone and marry Siegfried.

Sophitia then replied, "Your joining with Sir Schtauffen . . . will benefit the future of the Ottoman Empire."

Lucius then spoke up. "Sis, that's totally not fair for Cassandra! You're making the decision for her, and I don't think that's right!"

"I understand, and I'll do it."

Lucius turned to Cassandra, shocked at the words she just said. "Sis?"

"But understand this, Sophitia. I won't do this just because you said to. I'll do it out of my own will. I want to explore the world and find love on my own!"

* * *

Eventually, they vanished from her sight. Then Princess Hilde approached her from behind. "Come, Lady Cassandra. We need to prepare you for your wedding."

The wedding was quite simple, and Cassandra and Siegfried only wore simple wedding attires. But they didn't care, for joining together was truly extraordinary. Then a simple celebration was held for them, and the whole townspeople were invited to celebrate. They all were delighted for the marriage, for they really loved and adored Cassandra. After all of this was done, everyone returned home and the two newlyweds retired in their room.

Cassandra and Siegfried just sat on their bed for a long time before the knight finally spoke up. "I don't know if you did this just because your sister asked you to, but I just want to let you know. I agreed to this . . . because I'm truly in love with you."

The girl turned her head towards the knight, shocked to hear those words. Siegfried then looked into Cassandra's eyes. "Ever since we met, it feels as if you somehow captivated me. I just couldn't get you off of my mind. Then I realized what I felt about you: that you were the one for me."

Cassandra gently smiled at him. "Funny. I've felt that way too after our first meeting. I never understood it at first, but now I know that I was beginning to fall in love with you. And just to let you know, I didn't do this because Sophitia ordered me to. I did it . . . so that I can be with you forever."

Siegfried was a little shocked at first, but then he smiled back at her. Suddenly he wrapped his arms around Cassandra and laid her down. "Then . . . shall we?"

The girl silently nodded. Before she knew it, he slowly drew his face closer to hers. Then all of a sudden, their lips met. As sensation was running through her body during the kiss, Cassandra wrapped her arms around Siegfried's neck and drew him closer, feeling the warmth emanating from his body.

_"I know that this is one of the many moments that I'll be sharing with him . . . my beloved knight."_


	7. Birth of an Empress

Since I have a few days off from whatever I'm doing, I might add a few more chapters after this one. Iska Farkas from Soul Calibur Legends makes his appearance as an enemy. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6: Birth of an Empress

**A month later**

On a balcony of the Wolfkrone castle, Siegfried looked out into the horizon, which looked as it was on fire due to the radiant sun that was coming up. The knight was waiting for Princess Hilde's next order on what to do next. Yesterday, she claimed that she had enough of Emperor Iska and his foul ways of ruling the Holy Roman Empire and that it's time that someone else took his place.

While he was waiting, Siegfried had a lot on his mind: where his unforgivable past was, what Princess Hilde would do next, and even Cassandra, his beautiful wife. He just couldn't get her off his mind. He remembered what she looked like as she slept beside him during the nights. She was just so cute, snuggling up to his side and sleeping peacefully. She was truly beautiful, like an angel.

Then someone approached Siegfried from behind. The knight turned and saw that it was Cassandra, but she wasn't wearing an outfit that she wore before. She was wearing armor with a pair of white wings and dark blue clothing underneath. The armor was all trimmed with gold and she had pink shoulder pads that bear the symbol as that on her shield. Ever since Cassandra married Siegfried, she insisted that she received new armor, and the local blacksmith gladly fulfilled her request.

Siegfried was truly amazed, for she now looked like a warrior angel; a beautiful one. The knight extended out his hand and Cassandra took it. Then he pulled her towards himself and hugged her, allowing her to hear the beating of his heart.

As they stayed that way for a while, Cassandra made a vow to herself in her mind. _"Wherever Siegfried goes, I shall go as well. And whatever he does, I shall do it to. I shall always stay by his side, no matter what."_

Then they let go of each other as Hilde approached them from behind. They saw that her eyes were full of confusion and they couldn't figure out why until she finally spoke up.

"I'm sparing Emperor Iska. Although he doesn't do a good job as a leader, it would be bad for me to try to overthrow him. If I did, it'll leave a bad impression on me. So I cannot attack."

"Princess!" Cassandra shouted. "Even though there are things you need to do that you don't like, you have to do them with your head held high. Trust me, cuz I know. When my brother Achilles retook Athens, he didn't want to do it at first cuz he didn't want to harm the city. But he pulled himself together and did it. What I'm trying to say here is that if you want to make your dream come true, then you gotta be more flexible with things. So, whatdya say?"

The princess held up her right hand and looked at it, still looking unsure. "More flexible . . . Right."

Cassandra shook her head with disappointment as she walked towards the edge of the balcony. "Ugh. Princess, when we go into battle, you better not lead your army with such a sad expression."

Siegfried was pretty shocked when he heard his wife's words. "Battle? Cassandra, you're planning to go into battle with us?!"

"Of course! I'm not just gonna be a normal housewife! Wherever you go and whatever you do, I shall go and do as well!"

The knight walked up to his wife and placed his hand on his shoulders. "But . . . I don't want you to get hurt . . ."

"I'll be fine Siegfried. I can take care of myself. Besides, if I ever need help, I have you. So I'm not afraid of anything."

The knight looked down, still hesitant about it. But after realizing that she was right, he looked up to her face and drew her into a hug. "Just promise you won't leave my side on the battlefield. I don't want to lose you . . . just like how you lost your brother."

There was a moment of silence before Cassandra answered. "I will."

As Siegfried let go of her, Hilde approached them from behind. "Well Cassandra, I'll take your advice and be more flexible to make my dream come true. Now then, shall we head for Vienna?"

* * *

**A week later, outside Vienna**

When the Wolfkrone army reached Vienna, they saw that Emperor Iska has doubled the guards on the balcony of the city walls. When Hilde saw this, she had a feeling that he must've known all along that she would come, but she pondered why he was becoming afraid of her. She was just a mere princess of a part of the Holy Roman Empire, so why?

Siegfried was standing beside her and noticed the expression on her face. Somehow he read her mind. "Iska must be afraid of you because of all of the good deeds you have done for the people. Doing good deeds for them is rewarded with earning their love for you. Iska is most likely seeing that as a threat because the people will likely prefer you over him."

"He's scared of me . . . just because of that?"

Cassandra approached them from behind. "C'mon Princess. That's a good thing, isn't it? It means that you got a lot of support behind you. So you have nothing to fear, for they will always be right behind you."

Hilde nodded. "You're right. When I fight against him tomorrow . . . I'll fight for the people!"

* * *

**The next day**

Hilde, Siegfried, and Cassandra looked out to the mighty walls of Vienna. They did not want that or the city to fall. But Emperor Iska must. The Princess raised her spear high so that her army behind them could see it clearly.

"Let us achieve victory for the sake of the people!"

In an instant, the men gave a powerful war cry as they all charged to the northern gate. All of a sudden, archers appeared up on the balcony and shots dozens of arrows on the Wolfkrone army. Many of the soldiers were killed in an instant. Hilde, Siegfried, and Cassandra sped up on their horses, quickly avoiding the arrows. Suddenly the gate opened, and Iska's army came out near the exit, ready to defend. Shortly afterwards, the gate was quickly closed. Hilde, Siegfried, and Cassandra immediately reached them and slashed down from horses, killing many soldiers. Then their army came in and helped them out.

As soon as there was only a handful left, Hilde shouted, "We need to take the door down to get inside!"

Then the Wolfkrone army brought out an enormous piece of log near the gate and some of the men started banging it on the door. As Hilde, Siegfried, Cassandra, and the rest of the men were finishing off Iska's men and protecting the men with the log from incoming arrows. Gradually, the gate began to collapse, until finally, it gave in.

Hilde saw this and cried, "The gate is down! Now, move in!"

Then they all charged in, taking down every soldier that stood in their way. Cassandra immediately jumped off of Athena and ran up to the balcony and started taking down the enemy archers swiftly while being covered by a few Wolfkrone archers. Hilde, Siegfried, and their men were easily taking down Iska's men when Cassandra rejoined them.

The knight then turned to the princess. "Cassandra and I can take care of these guys. You go in and deal with Iska. Be careful."

Hilde nodded. "Alright. You two take care."

In an instant, she and a couple of her men headed for the castle. It wasn't hard for them to get past the castle guards and break into the castle. As her soldiers stayed behind to take down the surrounding enemies, Hilde continued to through, easily taking down every soldier that was in the way. Eventually, she made her way to the throne room, where she finally found her main opponent: Emperor Iska Farkas. He had short, silver wavy hair, with his left eye being red and his right blue. He had a blue shirt, a yellow vest, long indigo gloves, tight purple trousers, and dark purple boots. Within his right hand was the legendary spirit sword, Soul Calibur.

"So you've come. I understand that you're trying to take my place as the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. Ha-ha-ha, what a foolish girl you are. It's pretty much obvious that you aren't capable of beating me, especially when I have this, the legendary sword, Soul Calibur. So why even bother of trying to defeat me?"

Hilde readied her weapons. "I have the support of the people, which is something you don't have. You've been treating them with so much disrespect that they have now deemed you unworthy of being Emperor, which is something that I agree to. With their faith in me, I shall let you feel the vengeance of the people!"

Iska sighed. "You are really foolish, just like your late father. Very well, then." He readied Soul Calibur. "If death is what you truly want, then I shall grant it to you."

Hilde quickly sprinted towards Iska. Once she reached him, she began rapidly attacking the emperor with her weapons. Iska easily blocked every attack with Soul Calibur. The princess looked straight into the emperor's eyes and saw that he wasn't worried at all. Not only that, but it seemed that he could read her movement, expecting every attack that she was going to do. She couldn't figure out why. Suddenly, as Hilde slashed vertically at Iska with her sword, he sidestepped to dodge the blade and slashed at her back. She grunted with pain and quickly turned around. But before she could counter attack, Iska sprinted towards her and slashed at her again. Hilde managed to block the attack, but the impact threw her back, causing her to fall on the stairs behind her.

The princess managed to get back on her feet, but she was in so much pain. She then figured out why Iska didn't have a hard time with her. _"It must be Soul Calibur, I'm sure of it. That sword must be showing him when I'm gonna attack next. If that's the case, then what should I do?"_

Iska somehow read her mind. "You seem to have figured it out by now. But I'm afraid it's too late. There's nothing you can do."

Hilde pointed her blade. "Nothing's impossible. I will find your weakness."

Suddenly, Soul Calibur began to glow with a bright blue light. "Foolish girl, this sword has absolutely no weakness!"

He then sprinted towards her and rapidly attacked her. Hilde managed to block, but the power of the spirit sword was so intense that it kept on pushing her back. Then Iska charged the sword up and swung it at the princess. Its power penetrated her block and the emperor stabbed Soul Calibur into her left shoulder. As Hilde let out a huge cry of pain, Iska pulled out Soul Calibur and slashed at her chest, destroying her breastplate. The princess tried to quickly recover, but the emperor attacked again, slashing at her vertically upwards and causing her to fly upwards. When Hilde came down at the right spot in the air, Iska charged Soul Calibur up even more and swung it horizontally, destroying the rest of her armor and sending her flying.

Hilde lay where she landed. The wounds she received from the spirit sword were causing her body to slowly go numb. She looked up to the ceiling and realized that she failed. _"I . . . can't believe . . . that I lost . . . Will my dream . . . of a land of peace . . . end?"_

Iska walked up to her and knelt by her side. He then brought the still charged Soul Calibur to her neck, ready to deliver the final blow. "What did I tell you? There's no way I can be defeated, as long as I have this sword. All shall obey me."

"There's no way . . . the people . . . will obey you."

As Hilde was saying these words, tears came out of her eyes. One of the tears fell on the spirit sword, and in an instant, it was surrounded with blue flames.

Iska was shocked when he saw this. "Wh-What's going on?! Aa-Aaaahh!!"

Suddenly Soul Calibur severely burned his hand, causing him to drop it. Seeing an opportunity, Hilde got up with the last of her strength. Grabbing the spirit sword, she drove it into Iska chest, piercing his heart in the process. The emperor looked down at his mortal wound and tried to pull the sword out. But all of a sudden, the blue flames began to consume Iska's body.

"No! NO! I don't want to die! NO!!!"

Before he knew it, all of his body was consumed. Hilde watched in shock as the flames burned his body. Siegfried and Cassandra came running into the throne room and saw what was happening. They were horrified when they saw Iska dying in the flames. Eventually, all of his flesh was gone, and the bones fell to ground. Then they turned into dust and were blown away by the winds. The only thing that was left was Soul Calibur, which was no longer surrounded by the blue flames.

As Hilde collapsed on the floor, Siegfried and Cassandra immediately ran up to her and caught her. The princess panted for a few moments before she spoke up. "It's done . . . Iska . . . is finally dead."

She then slowly got up with the assistance of her comrades. She then picked up Soul Calibur. "Iska depended on this sword for power. But I vow not to follow his example. So this must be destroyed."

Siegfried then spoke up. "Wait Your Highness. That sword is the only thing powerful enough to stand against Soul Edge. Let's seal its power away, until we need it to fight Nightmare. That way, we can seal the two swords together and let them rest for eternity."

"Very well. Once we're done repairing Vienna, we'll make sure no one gets their hands on this."

The princess then headed outside, and Siegfried and Cassandra followed her. Once she reached the castle doors, all of her men turned towards her. She then raised Soul Calibur as she cried out, "Iska has finally been defeated! From now on, I shall be known as Hilde, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire!"

In an instant, the men gave a loud shout of victory. A new era of peace was about to begin.

* * *

After Vienna was repaired, Hilde locked Soul Calibur away in an isolated and secret room within the castle, making sure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Only she, Siegfried, and Cassandra knew where the sword was being kept. When evening fell, the Wolfkrone army had a grand victory party held in the grand hall of the castle, with the people that supported Hilde invited. As some ate and drank until they were full, others went up to their new Empress and congratulated her on her victory.

Siegfried watched from a balcony nearby as Hilde received congratulations. "With so much support of the people of the Holy Roman Empire, her dream of creating a land of peace will soon become a reality."

Cassandra turned to her husband. "And she won't fulfill it alone. She's got you and me to help."

The knight looked down at his wife and smiled. He took his right arm and wrapped it around Cassandra's back, drawing her closer. "You know, I'm starting to think that we were truly made for each other."

She nodded. "Let's aid Hilde with her dream . . . together."

Siegfried nodded and drew her even closer. Then he kissed her gently on the lips, and she wrapped her right arm around his neck. After a long while, they departed and looked up to the starlit sky.


	8. Revenge

Like I said, I now have a lot of time, so expect more chapters soon.

* * *

Chapter 7: Revenge

Shortly after Hilde became Empress, she summoned the other members of the Holy Roman Alliance, ordering them how they should rule their parts of the empire. When Iska was in control, he forced the members to do his bidding by conquering lands by force, capturing foreigners and making slaves, and many other misdeeds. As leader, Hilde wanted them to undo the wrongs that Iska forced them to do.

Weeks later, Hilde summoned Siegfried and Cassandra to the throne room. There, she gave them a little task that she wanted them to complete.

"Sir Siegfried and Lady Cassandra, I want the two of you to return to Wolfkrone. I want to make sure that everything's alright. I would personally go myself, but there are so many tasks that I need to complete. Do you two mind?"

The knight politely bowed. "No Your Highness. We understand. We'll leave before dawn tomorrow morning."

Cassandra also bowed. "We know how much you love Wolfkrone, so we'll make sure everything's okay."

The empress smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

True to their word, Siegfried and Cassandra left Vienna for Wolfkrone before the sun rose on the next day. Hilde was worried that the Ostrheinsburg might attack them on their journey, so she gave them a couple of horsemen to accompany them on their journey back to Wolfkrone. Within just a day, they crossed the border of Austria and entered Germany. They just needed a couple more days to make it to Wolfkrone.

As they were traveling through the forest, Cassandra looked at Siegfried and saw that he was lost in deep thought. Something was on his mind. "What's wrong?"

The knight startled a bit and turned to her. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing."

"Hmm. You know Siegfried, sometimes you're bad at hiding things. I know that look on your face. Something's really bothering you."

He looked down at Faust's mane, and there was a little moment of silence before he finally spoke up. "I guess there's no point in hiding it from you . . . I know that Sophitia wanted you to marry me to create an alliance between the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire, but I'm really worried that's she plotting something."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that there's a possibility that she'll break the alliance and try to take down Hilde. Not only that, but I'm worried about you."

"Me? Why?"

"If both empires do fight against each other, you have to choose between us or your sister. One will have to fall and you'll have to pick which side you want to fight for."

Cassandra looked out at the road in front of them. She realized that he was right. It's most likely that Sophitia and Hilde will battle against each other for the control of all of the land. She shook her head. "Siegfried, it was by my choice that I left the Ottoman Empire, and to join my life with yours. So I'll stay on your side."

"But then you'll be fighting against your own family."

"I know. But I made a vow to myself that I'll stand by your side and follow you wherever you go. So I'm always with you . . . even if it means I have to fight Sophitia."

Siegfried saw the sad expression on her face as she said those. "Cassandra, don't push yourself too hard. I know that it'll be hard to choose."

"Don't worry about it. I mean-"

"Wait." Siegfried stopped Faust and immediately drew out Requiem from his back. The men behind them stopped, wondering what was up with their leader.

"What is it?"

"Stay on guard. Something evil's out there. I can feel it."

Cassandra then looked out, wondering who it could be. Suddenly, Nightmare's servant flashed in her mind. _"Tira. I gotta feeling that it's her."_

Suddenly, soldiers all dressed in black came upon them and attacked, bringing down many horsemen and fighting them to kill. Cassandra and Siegfried managed to stay on their horses and kill their incoming opponents. When Cassandra finished stabbing an opponent, she noticed something way out in front of her within the trees. She focused her sight and realized who it was.

"It's Tira! Let's go Athena!"

In an instant, the mare sprinted forward. Siegfried, having finished slaying an enemy, saw Cassandra heading off. "Hey! Where are you going?!"

"I gotta score to settle!"

"Cassandra, wait!"

It was too late. Before he knew it, she was gone. He knew that Tira was most likely leading Cassandra into a trap. Siegfried quickly jumped down from Faust and began attacking enemies on the ground. He had to make sure that his remaining men would be alright. As he fought, he silently prayed for the safety of his wife.

_"Please, Cassandra. Don't die."_

* * *

Cassandra was chasing Tira on Athena for quite some time as the assassin jumped swiftly from tree to tree. Eventually, she got tired of the chase and pulled out her bow and arrow and aimed at the assassin. When she knew that the time was right, she fired. The arrow stuck at Tira's left leg and she fell from the trees to the ground.

The Athenian immediately stopped her mare and jumped off. She then whispered into Athena's ear, "Run back. And don't worry, I'll be fine."

The mare obeyed her master and ran back. Suddenly, she heard an insane laugh from behind. Cassandra turned and saw Tira getting up, limping on her left leg. The assassin continued her laugh. "I can feel it, the rage and anger that you have for me inside your heart. Your soul will be so delicious for Soul Edge."

Cassandra pulled out her sword and shield. "I will not let my death to be that! Prepare yourself, Tira! This time, I'll make sure that Achilles will be avenged!"

Tira smirked as she readied her ring blade. Then they charged at each other. The two of them slashing at each other and blocking incoming attacks. It wasn't long before Cassandra started getting the upper hand as Tira's wound in the leg was taking its toll and causing her to limp. The assassin then began her blade uncontrollably as she tried to defend herself. But the Athenian kept on attacking with ease. Eventually, she saw an opening and did a vertical slash upwards, causing Tira to fly. Cassandra leaped over her and did several slashes and finished with a powerful attack, causing the assassin to hit the ground hard. The Athenian landed safely and quickly back-flipped away.

Then all of a sudden, a purple flame surrounded Tira as she slowly got up. To Cassandra's surprise, the wounds that she inflicted upon the assassin a second ago began to heal, even the one on her leg.

"What?! What's going on?!"

"Hehehe. This is the power of Soul Edge. As I am its faithful servant, it rewards me by protecting me with its power. Nightmare doesn't want the same thing to happen to me like last time. So he planted a shard of the evil sword within me so I can instantly regenerate. Face it! I'm invincible!"

Before Cassandra knew it, Tira sprinted towards her and delivered rapid attacks. Cassandra managed to block them, but was forced back with each attack. Suddenly, Tira charged up her ring blade and slashed. Cassandra defended from the attack, but she skidded because of the impact. She then felt a little stream of blood on her check.

"_Soul Edge is not only healing her wounds, but also granting her speed and strength!"_

Tira charged at her again and attacked. The Athenian did her best to defend herself, but every time the assassin attacked, it was with so much force that it left her open for a second, not giving her enough time to defend. As Tira continued her rapid attacks, she saw an opening at Cassandra's stomach and delivered a powerful kick, sending Cassandra flying backwards. The Athenian hit a tree with her back, giving her more pain.

Tira quickly came up to her and slashed horizontally at her face. Cassandra quickly ducked and rolled away, but the assassin charged up her ring blade and swung it. The Athenian blocked it, but it broke through her guard. Tira did a somersault, kicking Cassandra high into the air. Using the power of Soul Edge, she flew up over the Athenian and charged up her ring blade with even more energy.

"Let's see how you handle this!"

Then the assassin spun herself and threw her blade at Cassandra. It hit the Athenian in the chest and knocked her to the ground. Cassandra was in so much pain, as the ring blade penetrated though her breastplate and caused her to bleed. Tira, still high in the air, insanely laughed again.

"Ha! And you said that you were gonna kill me! Seems like I'm gonna be the one who's gonna be doing the killing! Time to say bye-bye!"

Tira charged up her ring blade for one last time, and then flew down to Cassandra, ready to finish the Athenian off. Suddenly as Tira was about to deliver the final blow, a brilliant light appeared and surrounded Cassandra, causing the assassin to fly backwards.

The Athenian was blinded by the light. Suddenly, her wounds began to heal and the crack on her breastplate disappeared. All of a sudden, a man appeared before her. He had on a white tunic and a golden crown of olives on his hand. His hair was gold as the sun, and his eyes were blue as the sky. Cassandra then saw his feet and noticed that each had a pair of wings. She then recognized him. He was the messenger god of Olympus.

"Hermes!"

"Cassandra, Zeus has sent me to give you a message. You must not fall here, and you must defeat the servant of Soul Edge."

"But . . . I don't have enough strength to beat her. She's too powerful."

"That is why the Gods are giving you this for the time being."

All of a sudden, Hermes' right hand began to glow and a sphere of light appeared. He then held it out towards Cassandra and it flew to her sword. In an instant, Cassandra felt a strong aura of power within her sword.

Hermes then continued. "They are momentarily giving you the strength to defeat your enemy." Suddenly, he began to fade from the Athenian's sight.

"Wait! Why are you all doing this for me?"

In an instant, Hermes, but his voice was heard as he gave his final message. "You have a destiny to fulfill, which is something you have to discover for yourself!"

Then the light cleared, and Cassandra found herself standing on her two feet. She looked at herself and saw that her wounds have truly healed. She then held up her sword and saw that it was glowing. The Gods have truly granted the strength she needed to defeat Tira.

"_Well, I don't exactly trust them, and I don't get it when he said . . . my destiny . . . but I guess I have no other choice."_

Then she saw Tira slowly getting up as she recovered from the blast of light. Then she smirked. "So, you gain new power. But it's still not enough to defeat me!"

All of a sudden, they sprinted towards each other and attacked. As Tira tried to slash at Cassandra, she couldn't believe that the Athenian had no problem in defending against the power of Soul Edge. Suddenly, Cassandra twirled rapidly, causing Tira to fall. As the assassin got up with her back towards her opponent, the Athenian came in and slashed low at the back of Tira's feet. After a yelp of pain, Tira swung her ring blade, but Cassandra quickly rolled behind her and slashed at her back, flinging her away. After she landed, the assassin tried to recover, but Cassandra slashed at her vertically several times and delivered a blow that flung her upwards.

The Athenian jumped high over Tira and charged with all of the power she received from the Gods of Olympus. "This is for my brother!"

Before Tira knew it, Cassandra charged towards her and delivered a powerful slash. She landed safely and turned to see Tira's body landing hard on the ground. The Athenian walked towards the side of the assassin's body. The purple aura surrounding her was gone, and blood was spilling from the wound Cassandra gave her, which was at her chest. When she saw that Tira wasn't breathing, Cassandra knew that she was dead.

She then turned and slowly walked a few paces away. Then she looked to the sky as it began to rain. As drops of water fell on her, she began to shed tears.

"I did it Achilles . . . I've finally avenged you . . ."

Suddenly, Cassandra collapsed on the ground on her side, exhausted from all of the fighting. The power that emanated from her sword then vanished.


	9. Resolve of Love

Happy Martin Luther King Jr's Day everyone! Enjoy this!

* * *

Chapter 8: Resolve of Love

"Cassandra! Cassandra!!"

Siegfried called out his wife's name as he rode on Faust, who was charging through the forest and the rain.

After the knight and his men who survived defeated Tira's army, he ordered them to go back as quickly as possible to Vienna and inform Empress Hilde of what has happened. Then he and Faust sprinted off in the direction Cassandra went. His stallion galloped for a long time, but he couldn't find his wife anywhere.

"_Damn it. I should've gone with her!"_

Suddenly, he saw a white horse running towards. It was Athena. When the two horses were about to collide, the mare lifted her two front feet and neighed in fear. Siegfried immediately jumped off of Faust and calmed Athena down.

"Whoa girl, whoa! It's alright! It's me, Siegfried!"

The mare immediately recognized him and calmed down, allowing the knight to stroke her face.

"Where's Cassandra?"

Athena motioned her head to the direction she came. Siegfried quickly jumped on her back.

"I need you to take me to her. Follow us Faust!"

In an instant, he and Athena headed off with Faust following close behind them. After some time, the mare stopped at where Cassandra fought Tira. Siegfried jumped off of Athena and walked towards the assassin's body. He then saw that she was dead. Then he looked out in front of him and saw his wife, lying in the muddy ground.

"Cassandra!"

Siegfried rushed towards her side and lifted her head. He saw that she was still breathing, but she was unconscious. The knight gently picked her up and walked towards Faust. The white stallion knelt down on all four hands as the knight slowly got on his back. As soon as Siegfried grabbed the reins, he motioned his horse to get up.

"We need to find a place to stay for the night. There's no way we can make it back in all of this rain. Let's go Faust. Athena, stay close."

The horses obeyed his commands and galloped away from the battlefield, leaving Tira's corpse behind.

They wandered in the rain for quite some time with no sign of any shelter in sight. Siegfried was starting to worry. Cassandra's body was so cold, so she might freeze to death. He had to hurry to save her. But still no house appeared.

"_Come on. There's got to be something out here."_

Suddenly, he caught of two buildings. One looked like some sort of barn while the other appeared to be a small shed. Both looked very old and abandoned. Siegfried shook his head. They would have to do for tonight. As soon as they reached the shed, the knight gently got off of Faust and entered. Inside, he saw tons of hay with a fireplace with a couple of logs. Siegfried gently laid Cassandra on the hay and went back outside. He quickly got Athena and Faust in the barn, making sure that they were comfortable.

Once that was done, the knight immediately got inside the shed, locking the door behind him. He found some old blankets and used them to Cassandra's cold body. Siegfried then started a fire in the fireplace, making things warmer. He then stripped off his armor and took off his shirt. He then picked up his wife and carried her over by the fire. He gently took off her armor and drew her body close to his chest, giving some of his body warmth to her. He positioned her legs towards the fire, letting them warm up. Siegfried drew Cassandra closer, whispering a small prayer.

"Come on. Pull through."

* * *

They stayed that way for about half an hour before Cassandra began to move and regain consciousness. She then opened her eyes and saw her beloved knight, looking right back at her.

"Siegfried . . ."

Suddenly there were tears in his eyes as he hugged her. "Thank goodness. I thought I was going to lose you forever . . ."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. As long as you're alright . . . nothing else matters."

Then he let go of her and they stared straight into each others' eyes with a smile. Then Cassandra looked down and saw Siegfried's bare chest.

"What the-?"

"Sorry. I had to keep you warm."

She then looked at him as he took hold of her hand. It was still cold as ice. "Seems like you still need more warmth."

He then looked into her eyes again. Suddenly, the desire of love filled each other as they stared at each other. Then slowly he wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck. Then they pulled each other closer and kissed each other on the lips. Before they knew it, they found themselves lost in the sensation of love.

They slowly stripped each other's clothes off, leaving that blanket they had as their covering. Siegfried then laid Cassandra gently on the hay and kissed her even more. He then removed the blanket from over her right leg and began running down his left hand on it. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his strong muscles.

After some time, their lips departed, and they looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment. Siegfried then lowered his head and kissed her neck. While he was doing this, Cassandra ran her fingers to his long hair. She then looked up to the ceiling. _"So this . . . is what true love is like . . ."_

Siegfried then moved over Cassandra and kissed her again. They wrapped each other with their arms and drew each other closer, continuing their moment of love.

* * *

**A few hours later, around midnight**

Cassandra slowly opened her eyes and saw Siegfried, who was sleeping as he held her in his arms. She was all cuddled up in his embrace. The blanket covered her chest and below but exposed her legs. Her knight had his lower body covered and his chest bare. Cassandra looked at his peaceful face. She couldn't believe that her life was saved by him again. But she hasn't done anything for him. She looked down with guilt in her heart.

Siegfried woke from his slumber and noticed the sad expression on her face. "What is it?"

Cassandra looked into his eyes, still very sad. "You've saved my life many times. When we fought Barbaros, when I was about to be killed by Tira, and now this . . . I've done nothing to repay you . . ."

The knight shook his head and pulled her closer to him. "You're wrong, Cassandra. You have repaid me . . . by giving me love."

Cassandra was confused when he said that. He then continued. "I haven't had this feeling of being accepted through love at all. When I was the Azure Knight, I was tormented as my unforgivable past controlled my body, and I never felt loved. Instead I felt abused and feared. But then you came into my life and lifted my sorrows from my back. That's enough for me."

She closed her eyes as tears began running down her face. He then lifted her chin. "Cassandra, as long as you stay by my side, then I'll be satisfied."

Cassandra nodded with a smile on her face. "I will."

Then they kissed each other. Cassandra brought her arms around Siegfried's neck, bringing him closer to her body. _"I'll never leave your side, Siegfried. I promise."_


	10. Sparks of Battle

Chapter 9: Sparks of Battle

**Next Morning**

Cassandra slowly opened her eyes as she woke from her slumber. Rays of sunlight ran through the window and shined on her face. She got up and realized that Siegfried wasn't by her side.

"_Hmm. must've woken up earlier."_

She quickly put on her clothes and armor and opened the door. When she got outside, she shielded her face from the radiant sun. She then saw her surroundings. The sky was blue and the trees of the forest were a beautiful shade of green. Water droplets were upon them as it rained a whole lot last night. It was all breathtaking.

"Morning. About time you woke up."

Cassandra turned to her side and saw Siegfried coming out of the barn with Faust and Athena.

"Good morning. Sorry that I slept in."

"It's alright." He then handed her an apple. "You should eat this."

Cassandra nodded and started eating it. While she was doing that, Siegfried looked up to the sky. "After we defeated Tira's army, I sent our men back to Vienna to inform Empress Hilde about what happened. She'll most likely send a search party to find us. So it's best that we stay where we are."

The girl took a break from her eating. "You don't think that they won't have any problem in finding us?"

"I've been with those men for quite some time, and I know that they complete the tasks that are given to them quickly. I'm sure that they'll find us soon."

There was a brief moment of silence before Siegfried spoke up again. "How in the world were you able to defeat Tira?"

Cassandra threw her apple in the grass, having finished it. "It's a long story, and some of it might sound a little bit weird. So promise me that you won't think I'm crazy."

"I won't."

She then explained everything to him: Tira having regenerating powers because of Soul Edge, her vision of Hermes, how she received the power of the Gods of Olympus, and even the messenger god's last words about her having a destiny to fulfill.

"What sort of destiny was he talking about?"

"I don't know. But I'm not worried about it. I mean, I got more important things to worry about.' She then looked up into the sky and smiled. "And who knows, I might someday fulfill without knowing it."

Suddenly they heard horses approaching and a familiar voice calling out their names.

"Sir Siegfried! Lady Cassandra!"

Then the two saw Empress Hilde and a couple horsemen riding out in their direction. Once she saw them, she immediately got off her horse and ran to them. She hugged both of them with tears in her eyes.

"Thank goodness you're both alright! I was so worried that something bad happened to you two! I'm so glad that you're safe!"

Siegfried gently broke the embrace. "We're terribly sorry that we worried you."

"It's alright. Now that I said that, shall we continue to Wolfkrone?"

Cassandra was a little shocked when she heard those words. "Huh? You're heading for Wolfkrone with us? But don't you have duties to fulfill?"

"Don't worry about that. Those can be put aside for now. I mean, I don't see any point in riding back when I've come this far to find you two."

"I guess . . . that does make sense."

"Now then, while on the way, you two can explain to me what happened."

It was about an hour before sunset and they were almost at Wolfkrone castle. After Cassandra and Siegfried explained everything to Hilde, the Empress looked out in front of her with a smile.

* * *

"So Nightmare has now lost all of his servants and is all by himself. Hmph. Then it shouldn't be a problem for us to take him down and destroy both his army and Soul Edge."

Cassandra nodded. "Yeah. Then things will be a lot more peaceful."

Suddenly, Hilde's smile faded from her face. "But we have your sister to worry about as well."

"Huh? Sophitia? What do you mean?"

"I've received word that she has been conquering many nearby portions of land for the Ottoman Empire. From what I've been told, she's been doing this . . . very brutally."

"Brutally?!"

"Yes . . . I know that she's your sister and this is very unlikely of her, but I'm starting to think that she may be a threat to us. So we need to-"

Empress Hilde didn't finish her words as she saw what was in front of her. The Wolfkrone castle was a couple of miles away, but no could recognize it at first . . . for it was not as it was before. Now it was partially destroyed. Parts of the gate walls have come down, and many buildings within the walls were burned and taken down. The castle itself wasn't severely damaged, but it would've taken weeks just to repair it. Wolfkrone was on the brink of becoming ruins.

In an instant, Hilde rushed on her horse to the castle. Siegfried, Cassandra, and her men followed closely behind her. Thoughts of confusion came rushing through the Empress' mind.

_"Who could've done such a thing?!"_

* * *

Hilde and her group quickly made it to the gate, which was partially destroyed and burned. From the looks of it, it was destroyed by some sort of fire cannonballs. The same goes for the stone walls. As they got inside, they couldn't believe what they saw. Almost all of the houses were burned down and destroyed and dead bodies of soldiers and young men out of the street. Their blood made most of the road red. As they continued towards the castle, they couldn't find anyone alive in sight, which made Hilde very worried.

_"Where is everybody?"_

At last, they made it to the castle. The Empress immediately jumped off her horse and rushed inside. Siegfried and Cassandra immediately got off of Faust and Athena and followed Hilde inside. They could not believe what they saw inside. Before, it was a beautiful castle filled with many luxurious things. But now, it was all hideous, without a hint a beauty in sight. Everything was torn apart and broken into pieces.

Hilde looked around with such disgust on her face. She then turned to Siegfried and Cassandra. "We have to search this castle for clues to who did all of this."

They all nodded in agreement and began their search.

Cassandra wandered the castle for a very long time, but she couldn't find anything. She eventually made it to a familiar place: the room she stayed in while visiting Wolfkrone. Slowly, she pushed the door forward and entered. It too was in ruins that she couldn't recognize it at first. The bed sheets and curtains were torn, and the furniture was all destroyed. Cassandra couldn't understand. Who did all of this, and why?

Suddenly, she heard something from under the bed. It sounded like the mumbling of voices. She stealthily tiptoed towards it and bent down. Then she slowly reached down for the bed cloth and quickly pulled it up. All of a sudden, two voices cried out in fear. Cassandra was startled at first, but she took a closer look and realized who they were.

"Anina! Bertha!"

The girls were shocked at first when they heard their names, but when they saw Cassandra, they immediately crawled from under the bed and hugged her.

Anina cried into Cassandra's armor. "Oh Lady Cassandra! We're so glad to see you again!"

Bertha looked into the eyes of her mistress. "We were afraid that no would come!"

Cassandra let them both go. "Come. I'm sure Hilde will be relieved when she finds out that you two are alright."

She took the girls by the hands and led them out of the rooms. They found Hilde and Siegfried in the grand hall. When the Empress saw them, she immediately rushed to them. "Anina and Bertha! You're both alright! Who attacked this place?"

Anina and Bertha looked at each other, and then at Cassandra. The Athenian couldn't help but notice that their eyes were filled of hesitation. Anina turned back to the Empress and answered with a wavering voice. "It was . . . Sultan Sophitia."

Hilde, Siegfried, and Cassandra were greatly shocked at what the maidservant said. Bertha then spoke up. "It was about two days ago when she attacked. No one saw the invasion coming. She and the Ottoman army killed all of the soldiers and the young men and captured the women, children, and elderly. Anina and I believe that they are now slaves . . . We also believe that the sultan did this . . . so that . . . she could weaken your strong personality . . . and destroy the Holy Roman Empire."

Anina finished for her little sister. "We two were able to hide from them as they attacked the castle. But it seems that the other residents of the castle were either killed or captured."

Hilde then turned away with disgust. "So . . . she did all of this to try and weaken me? Well, she didn't weaken me at all! Instead, she has angered me! How dare her! I swear that I shall make her pay for what she has done!"

"Empress Hilde . . ."

Hilde turned back and saw that it was Cassandra who called out her name. The Empress saw the sad expression in her friend's eyes. "Lady Cassandra . . . I-"

The Athenian shook her head. "No. It's alright . . . I understand. I won't hold you back. In fact, I'll fight alongside you. I too have to get some answers. Sophitia is a kind and gentle person, so I have to know why she did all of this cruelty."

There was a long moment of silence from all of them before Hilde spoke up. "Very well. We will set off for Vienna tomorrow and prepare for battle. Anina and Bertha, come with me and I'll make sure that you receive clean clothes and food."

The sisters nodded and followed Hilde outside, leaving Cassandra and Siegfried alone. The knight walked up to his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Yes. I know that you'll willingly follow Empress Hilde wherever she goes. Since I vowed to stay by your side no matter what, then I shall follow her too."

The knight put his hands down and there was a brief moment of silence before he spoke up again. "I'm sorry . . . It must be really hard for you to choose."

The Athenian took his right hand. "It was by my choice that I left my family . . . and join my life to yours . . . I will stand by you . . . forever."

Siegfried then stepped forward and brought his hands on both sides of Cassandra's neck. He then kissed her gently on the forehead and drew her into an embrace. The two of them hugged each other for a while before joining Hilde and the sisters outside.


	11. Clash of Empires

Just to warn Sophitia fans, she'll seem a little bit on the dark side. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 10: Clash of Empires

**A few days later, outside Athens**

Cassandra, sitting on Athena, looked out at the place of her birth. She never thought that she would fight inside the city . . . as an enemy. She didn't want to do it, but it was the only way she could get the answers she was looking for. She had to find out why Sophitia nearly destroyed Wolfkrone.

Siegfried turned towards his wife, seeing the determination on her face. "You're ready?"

Cassandra nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it."

Hilde lifted her spear high. "For Wolfkrone!"

The men behind them shouted a loud war cry. Then they all charged to the city gate. Suddenly, archers appeared on the balcony, readying their bows and arrows. Cassandra quickly pulled out hers and began firing at them, killing a couple in an instant. At the same time, they fired back, taking down many soldiers. Hilde, Siegfried, and Cassandra moved quickly to avoid the arrows. Eventually, they and their men made it to the gate, where enemy soldiers were waiting for them. Their men brought their door breaker and began breaking down the gate. At the same time, the Empress, the knight, and the Athenian slashed down from their horses at the surrounding enemies. It wasn't long before the gate was finally destroyed.

Hilde, Siegfried, and Cassandra immediately charged in, with their men following right behind. As some of them went up on the balcony and took down the archers, others stayed with their Empress on the ground and fought the soldiers within the city. As the Athenian finished one soldier, she turned her eyes to the castle. _"I have to get to Sophitia."_

She then motioned Athena. In an instant, the mare rushed past enemy soldiers and galloped towards the castle.

Athena kicked at the castle doors with her front legs and continued forward. As they got inside, Cassandra saw a young man standing in front of them, and she knew who it was.

"Lucius . . ."

Her younger brother looked down with anguish for a moment. Then he took out his daggers and took his stance. "Cassandra, I'm sorry . . . But Sophitia . . . ordered me to take out all intruders. So now . . . I must fight you . . . even if you are my sister!"

Cassandra jumped off Athena and readied her sword and shield. "Lucius . . . I don't want to fight you. But if I must, I must."

Lucius looked out towards his sister with tears in his eyes. Then he cried out and anguished battle cry and charged towards her. He then began thrusting his daggers at her rapidly. Cassandra blocked each attack with ease, and she clearly saw that he was hesitating, not wanting to kill her. As he swung horizontally at her face, she quickly ducked and rolled away and threw her shield at him, knocking him over. As she caught her weapon, Lucius got up and sprinted towards her again. He slammed his daggers against her shield, and they stayed that way for a moment as they tried to push each other back.

Cassandra then spoke up. "Lucius, I know that you don't want to kill me. I can tell. I also don't want to kill you either. So why can't we just-"

"Don't you even dare try to talk me out of this! I can't disobey Sophitia!"

He then pulled back and ran towards, ready to thrust his daggers. Cassandra quickly sidestepped, dodging the attack.

"Then you give me no other choice. I'm sorry, Lucius."

She then banged her shield on his head, knocking him out cold. Lucius then fell to the ground, unconscious. Cassandra then walked to where he was. "You're not the one I'm after, so I don't see a point in killing you. Hopefully Hilde will take it easy is she gives you a punishment." She then looked out towards the direction of the throne room. "Get ready Sophitia. You're next!"

* * *

After defeating Lucius, Cassandra ran as fast as she can to the throne room. Along the way, she swiftly took down enemy soldiers that were blocking her way. Finally, she made it to throne room, and she spotted a familiar face on the throne: Sophitia. The sultan had her eyes closed, her head down, her hands holding each other, her elbows on the arm rests, and her legs crossed. She lifted her head and opened her eyes, staring straight at Cassandra's. Then she got up from her throne. "I knew you'd come, but I didn't expect you this quickly. It appears that Lucius has failed."

"I didn't kill him, Sophitia. The least that I could do for him is spare his life. I don't want him to see this." Cassandra then pointed her sword at her sister. "Now tell me, why did you attack Wolfkrone?"

"That was necessary to accomplish Achilles' dream."

"What do mean?"

"Achilles wanted to create a land of peace, but there can't be two empires. One must fall while the other remains. I am determined that the Ottoman Empire is the one destined to remain standing, so the Holy Roman Empire must fall."

"And you're planning to do it brutally . . . with no mercy at all?! That's not like you, Sophitia! Isn't there a more peaceful way to-"

"There is no other way, Cassandra! You are so naïve. You don't realize the truth. Neither empire can bend, so one must break. I will take down Hilde and the Holy Roman Empire . . . even if it means that I must kill you, sister!"

Sophitia then took up her sword and shield and prepared herself. Cassandra took her stance, readying herself for the fight. Then they charged at each other. Sophitia, being the stronger of the two, slashed powerful attacks at her sister to make up for her lack of speed. Cassandra, being the faster of the two, easily dodged her older sister's attack and came in to do sneak attacks to cover her deficiency of strength. For some time, neither sister could land a hit on one another. Then Sophitia swung her blade at Cassandra, but the younger sister blocked it with her shield. The two remained that way for a while as they tried to push each other back.

Cassandra looked into her sister's eyes. They were filled with hatred and determination to kill those who stood in her way. There was no love or kindness. Clearly, Sophitia was not the sister that she once knew. Her heart was as black as night and cold as ice.

The younger quickly drew back and sprinted, surprising the older with a fast attack. Cassandra slashed at her sister's chest and then banged her in the face with her shield, causing her to fumble back.

Sophitia quickly recovered. A scar appeared on her breastplate and her right cheek was bruised from Cassandra's shield. "Hmm. Looks like you've become even more skilled. But that won't be enough to stop me!"

Suddenly, Sophitia's sword was surrounded with the power of lightning. She then slashed at Cassandra, creating a wave of thunder. The younger blocked it, but it destroyed her guard and she was flung backwards in the air. Sophitia then jumped and rapidly slashed her, creating scars on her armor. Then the sultan finished off with a blow that knocked her sister down. The older then came down and embedded her sword, which created a powerful wave that knocked the younger away.

Cassandra weakly got up to recover, but Sophitia came upon her and slashed at her powerfully. The younger managed to block the attack, but she was knocked down to the ground. The older was upon her sister, pushing her more to the floor.

"It looks like Lucius and I are going to fulfill Achilles' dream on our own, without your help. Maybe you shouldn't have left us. Maybe we shouldn't have created an alliance with Hilde. It all ends here for you!"

Cassandra looked up to her sister with tears in her eyes. "Sophitia . . . darkness is slowly consuming in your heart . . . I only I could . . . destroy that darkness . . ."

Suddenly, Cassandra began to glow, creating a powerful bright light. Sophitia was forced to back away and cover her eyes. "Wha-What is this!?"

Within the light, Hermes appeared before Cassandra. "You have now realized your destiny: to destroy the darkness that consumes innocent lives and rid the evil that threatens the world. And so, the Gods of Olympus are granting you strength once again!"

Suddenly the light faded, and Cassandra's sword was shining with a light of power, power that was even greater than the one Sophitia had. In an instant, the younger swiftly rushed towards the older and slashed her up into the air, which the latter could not block. Cassandra jumped over her and brought her sword over her head. She then brought her sword down, creating a wave of light that knock Sophitia down to the ground hard.

As Cassandra safely landed on the ground, Sophitia weakly pushed herself up, sitting on her legs. She then looked at her younger sister with a sad look on her face. "To think that . . . the Gods have given you power to defeat me . . . It's strange that . . . you . . . would put an end to Achilles' dream . . . to our dream."

Cassandra looked to her side with great sorrow. She then walked up to Sophitia and pointed her sword at her sister's neck, ready to finish her off. The sultan closed her eyes and lowered her head with a small smile on her face.

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them. "Cassandra! Stop!"

The young Athenian turned around towards the door and saw that it was Siegfried. Hilde quickly walked from behind and went in front of him.

Cassandra was startled. "Siegfried . . . and Empress."

Sophitia then cried out, "Hilde! Finish it! I'm not so enamored of my life. I've been defeated, but here you are insulting me with pity!"

The young Empress walked towards the sultan. "So that's what it is? Do you really believe that we can all live in a world that's filled with vengeance and hatred? Like you, I too dream of a new land, but it's not brutal and wretched as yours. Now, you shall come with us and we'll end this pointless battle."

All of a sudden, two Wolfkrone soldiers came in and carried Sophitia away with Hilde following behind them. As soon as they were gone, Cassandra dropped down to her knees with tears in her eyes. "Empress Hilde, I thank you."

Siegfried then walked up to her and bent down, turning his wife towards him. "No. You're the one who should be thanked. When Hilde and I saw the sorrow in your eyes, we both realized that a dream has no value if it doesn't include mercy."

He then bent down and kissed her gently on the lips. As they pulled away, Cassandra placed her head on Siegfried's chest. Her tears ran down on his armor. The knight wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace. The hatred created between the two empires has finally vanished.


	12. Final Showdown

Phew. I've been a bit busy, and this took me a whole lot of time to write. Well, sorry abe, but this story has its ending. It's not done but it's getting close. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 11: Final Showdown

**Two weeks later, outside Ostrheinsburg Castle**

Cassandra looked out to the cursed city of Ostrheinsburg on Athena. It was the last place that Hilde didn't conquer yet. Siegfried sat on Faust beside her, with the spirit sword in his hands. Empress Hilde decided that it was best if he'd be the one to seal it with the cursed sword, since he had some experience with it. Once Nightmare was defeated, Soul Edge will finally rest with Soul Calibur, and the land will finally experience the peace that the people have been waiting for. And she, Siegfried, and Hilde won't have this experience of peace alone . . . for Sophitia and Lucius will have it with them as well.

* * *

**Flashback, shortly after the battle between the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire**

Hilde and Sophitia were inside the Empress' tent, discussing how they will resolve the battle. As Cassandra, Siegfried, and Lucius waited patiently outside, the two siblings did not make eye contact. The brother kept looking down to the down and never looked up to his sister. Cassandra had a feeling he was overwhelmed with so much guilt in his heart. She decided to speak up.

"It's not your fault, Lucius. Sophitia thought that the only way to obtain peace for this way is to eliminate her enemies by brute force. So stop blaming yourself, alright?"

Lucius looked up at his sister. "That's not the problem! I tried to kill you Cassandra! If I did beat you, then my hands will be stained by your blood! I could never forgive myself for killing someone of my flesh and blood!"

Siegfried, somehow understanding how Lucius felt, walked up to the boy, placing his hands on his shoulders. "You didn't. So you need to stop feeling guilty and move on. Cassandra already forgave both you and Sophitia, so you have no reason to still have that guilt within your heart."

The young man still had a little bit of guilt, but he slowly nodded, realizing that the knight was right. Then suddenly, Hilde and Sophitia stepped out of the tent. Everyone turned towards them, wondering what conclusion the Empress has come up with.

The Empress spoke up. "I have decided that I will create an unbreakable alliance with Sultan Sophitia and the Ottoman Empire. Together, we shall defeat Nightmare and bring the chaos in the land to an end. We shall all prepare for the final battle."

After she finished, all of the men, from both the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire, gave powerful cheers. Cassandra saw the look on Sophitia's face, seeing a gentle smile from her older sister. The Sophitia that she loved is finally back.

* * *

**End of Flashback**

Hilde was on her horse with Siegfried, Cassandra, Sophitia, and Lucius beside her and the armies of both the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire behind her, ready for her order. She motioned her horse to move forward a little and turned around, facing everyone.

"This is it. After all these long years, we are about to experience the peace that we have longed for. We must now defeat Nightmare and seal the soul swords for all eternity. Together, we shall conquer the impossible and achieve victory!"

Then in an instant, everyone raised their weapons to the sky and shouted a loud war cry. The final battle was about to begin.

They charged toward the castle walls, where Nightmare's soldiers were waiting for them. It wasn't long before swords began to clash, and many soldiers from both sides fell. Cassandra and Siegfried stayed close to each other as they worked together in taking down soldiers. Hilde and Sophitia, who are now close friends, did the same as well, protecting and covering each other. Suddenly, archers appeared on top of the wall and fired. The two sisters protected themselves, the Empress, and the knight with their shields, but a lot of their soldiers were killed in an instant.

Hilde cursed. "Damn! If this keeps up, we'll lose our men in a short amount of time!"

Sophitia looked to the walls, seeing Lucius climbing up the ladder as fast as he could. "We have to keep faith in my younger brother, Empress. He's one of the fastest men of Athens."

Meanwhile, Lucius was about halfway up the wall, ducking and avoiding incoming arrows. Finally, he made it to the top and swiftly slashed his daggers at many archers, killing them quickly. Several of his men joined him and took down a lot as well. Many archers tried to fight back by firing dozens of arrows, but Lucius dodged and destroyed them. It wasn't long before he and his men took all of them down. Then they hurried and lowered the bridge over the large river below.

Hilde quickly turned and saw what happened. "The bridge has finally been lowered! Everyone, forward!"

In an instant, the nobles and the soldiers crossed the bridge and entered the castle, where another group of Nightmare's men were waiting for them. As they charged, some if their enemies fell in an instant. Siegfried and Faust charged past, heading for the throne room to find the Azure Knight.

The Empress saw what the knight was up to. "Where are you going, Sir Schtauffen?!"

The knight quickly turned around. "I'm sorry. But I have to settle the score with Nightmare right now."

"Siegfried, wait!"

But it was too late. The knight rode off on his stallion towards the main castle. After finishing off an enemy soldier, Cassandra quickly noticed that Siegfried was gone. She then turned towards the castle. Her knight must have gone there to fight his unforgivable past.

"I can't let him fight alone!"

"Cassandra, wait!"

The Athenian turned and saw that it was her sister. The Sultan continued. "The Azure Knight is a really strong opponent, especially when he has Soul Edge. It's too dangerous."

"Sis, Siegfried's my husband . . . and I love him . . . I refuse to lose him, just like how we lost Achilles!"

Sophitia looked straight into her younger sister's eyes and saw the powerful love she had for her knight. She knew that no matter what she tried, Cassandra will go after Siegfried.

She silently sighed. "Promise that you two will come back alive."

The younger nodded. "I promise."

Cassandra then nudged Athena forward and headed for the castle. _"Hang in there, Siegfried."_

* * *

Siegfried and Faust finally made it to the castle. They charged through the doors and entered. Once they were in, they heard a very insane laugh.

"Ahahahahaha! Ah, I've been waiting for this moment for too long, Siegfried!"

The knight looked towards the top of the long staircase before and saw him: the Azure Knight, Nightmare. His eyes were glowing with an even redder glow than before, and the evil light surrounding Soul Edge was burning so brightly with power. The phantom slowly walked down the stairs as the knight jumped down from Faust. Siegfried whispered softly into his stallion's ear. "This could get dangerous, so go find someplace safe, alright?"

Faust did not want to leave him, but he knew his master was right. So the stallion quickly ran out of the castle. Then Siegfried turned back around and saw that Nightmare had reached the bottom of the stairway. Suddenly the phantom pointed Soul Edge at the knight, who immediately responded by drawing Soul Calibur that was strapped onto his back and pointed the spirit sword to his unforgivable past.

"Nightmare, let's settle this once and for all!"

He then readied Soul Calibur as it glowed with a radiant blue light and charged. Nightmare also readied Soul Edge and charged as well. The battle then began.

They both swung their swords at each other, and sparks and piercing clashing sounds were created. As Nightmare backed away and recovered from one of Siegfried's attacks, he charged up Soul Edge and pierced it into the ground. Siegfried managed to block it but he skidded a few feet back. The phantom then sprinted forward and continued his assault. Although the knight was able to block all the incoming attacks from Soul Calibur, he kept getting pushed back with every attack. Finally, Siegfried's back was against the wall, and Nightmare pressed Soul Edge on Soul Calibur, forcing his enemy even more back.

"Siegfried . . . do you honestly think that you'll win with that pathetic sword? Face it. There is nothing in this world that is powerful enough to destroy Soul Edge. Soon . . . this world . . . shall tremble in my darkness!"

Suddenly, Soul Calibur's blue light began to shine brighter than before, and Siegfried started to push Nightmare and Soul Edge back. Then the knight swung the spirit sword, forcing the phantom back. Siegfried pointed his blade at him.

"Not if I stop you first! There's no way I gonna let you get away with it!"

Suddenly, Nightmare's entire azure armor began to glow with a blood red light. His eyes began to radiate a powerful white light. And Soul Edge . . . its gruesome eye began to widen as it sucked more power. All of a sudden, a pair of wings began to grow out of the phantom's back. It looked as if both of them were on fire. Siegfried could not believe it. Nightmare was becoming a more ferocious monster.

"It . . . can't be . . ."

The phantom laughed with voice that was more frightening and deeper than before.

"This is it . . . the true power of Soul Edge . . . is awakening! I am no longer a nightmare! I am now . . . a night terror!"

Suddenly, Night Terror swooped down on Siegfried and knocked the knight away. Siegfried tried to recover as quickly as possible, but the power phantom swooped down again. This time, the knight lost Soul Calibur from his grasp as he was flung in the air. Then Night Terror flew over him and rapidly slashed him with Soul Edge. Then he performed a powerful vertical swing, sending the knight crashing down to the ground.

Siegfried was in so much pain. Night Terror had pierced through several parts of his armor and left scars that caused him to bleed. He forced his eyes to look up as he saw the phantom flying down towards him. Night Terror landed with his right foot on Siegfried's chest, causing more pain to envelope in the knight's body. He then pointed Soul Edge at Siegfried's neck.

"What did I tell you? It's pointless to try to defeat me. Now . . . I shall feast on your soul!"

Night Terror raised Soul Edge over his head, ready for the final blow. Suddenly, a bight wave of light came in and knocked the phantom away. As he tried to get up, he quickly looked up and saw the cause behind the attack. It was Cassandra, and she held Soul Calibur with her two hands.

"I won't let you kill my husband, monster!"

She then bent down and helped Siegfried up. She then grabbed his hand with both of hers and closed her eyes. Suddenly she began to glow with a radiant white light, and some light transferred from her body to Siegfried's. In an instant, his wounds were healed and the scars on his armor disappeared.

Siegfried was shocked and confused about all of this. "Cassandra . . . how are you . . . doing all of this?"

The Athenian looked into his eyes and smiled. "This is the power of the Gods of Olympus. Whenever I face darkness, they lend me all of their strengths, which include the power of healing. I got to admit, their power sure comes in handy with times like this. Siegfried . . . I made a promise to you that I'll stay by your side no matter what. We're in this together."

She then gave her knight a small kiss. As their lips departed, Siegfried nodded and grabbed Soul Calibur. He then got up and readied the spirit sword while his wife pulled out her sword and shield and took her stance. Then they charged at Night Terror, who had just got back on his feet.

Siegfried and Cassandra began slashing their swords at Night Terror. Although the phantom was able to block the attacks, he was becoming overpowered. Seeing an opening, Siegfried slashed upwards, causing the monster to falter back. Cassandra then sprinted at him and rapidly slashed at him. Then she performed a powerful kick as she back-flipped, causing Night Terror to be flung upwards. The Athenian then ran towards the other side of the monster as he came down. Then she and the knight sprinted and slashed at Night Terror, then ran back to each other and slashed at his again.

The phantom recovered and got up, but he realized that they had severely damaged his wings, preventing him from flying. He then turned towards Cassandra. "Why you-!"

He then charged at her to attack, but she quickly somersaulted over him. As she landed, Siegfried slashed Soul Calibur upwards at Night Terror's back, causing him to be flung up in the air.

Siegfried then turned to his wife. "Are you ready?"

Cassandra nodded at him. "Let's do this."

Then they charged up their weapons: Cassandra with the power of the Gods and Siegfried with the light of the spirit sword. When Night Terror was at the right spot in the air, they slashed their charged weapons at him, creating a bright and blinding light.

Hilde, Sophitia, and Lucius were coming into the castle when the light broke out. They were almost blinded, but they managed to shield their eyes. When it slowly cleared, they saw Siegfried and Cassandra. The light surrounding their weapons have disappeared.

The empress immediately ran up to the couple with the sultan and her brother close behind her. "Sir Siegfried! Lady Cassandra! Thank goodness you're alright!"

Lucius looked over them and saw where Night Terror laid. "Hey, is it . . . over?"

Siegfried shook his head. "Not quite. We still need to silence the two soul swords."

They all nodded and headed for the phantom's body. All of a sudden, Soul Edge began to glow again and raised itself high into the air. This shocked the nobles greatly. Then a blood red beam shot down from the evil sword to Night Terror. Then the phantom's body was lifted as it rose to the back of Soul Edge. Suddenly, the five heard the evil sword's voice.

"You pathetic humans! This is far from over!"

Then it shot out a powerful red light, and all of them were blinded. When it cleared, Hilde looked and saw that both Night Terror and Soul Edge were gone. She then turned and gasped. Both the knight and his wife were gone

"No! Did Soul Edge take Sir Siegfried and Lady Cassandra?!"

Lucius and Sophitia were shocked as well. The young lad spoke up. "Where did they go?!"

The sultan fell to her knees. "To the depths of hell . . ."

Hilde and Lucius looked at her with disbelief. Sophitia banged her fists on the ground. "We've . . . We've lost them! I can't believe it. I let Cassandra go before me!"

She lifted her head upwards as gave out a large cry.

"CASSANDRA!!!!"

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What will happen to Cassandra and Siegfried? You'll have to find out next chapter. The final battle is about to begin!


	13. The Flames of Hell

Whew! Finally found the time to upload this! Ok, the next chapter is the final one, so this story is coming to a close. Enjoy everyone!

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Chapter 12: The Flames of Hell

Cassandra regained her consciousness and slowly got up. She then tried to remember what happened. The last thing she remembered was the evil light that emanated from Soul Edge, and then everything went blank. She suddenly felt hot and looked around. In an instant, she realized that she wasn't in Ostrheinsburg anymore. The scenery was filled with several bursting volcanoes, flowing rivers of lava, and dark gray clouds in the sky. Cassandra could not figure out where she was.

_"What . . . is this place?!"_

Then she spotted Siegfried a couple feet away from her lying on the ground with Soul Calibur. She gasped and ran to his side. When she saw that he was breathing, she lifted his upper body and shook him.

"Siegfried! Come one, Siegfried! Wake up!"

In an instant, the knight slowly opened his eyes and looked to his wife, who gave out a small sigh of relief for his awakening.

"Cassandra . . . "

He then slowly got up with his wife helping him. When he saw their surrounding, he gasped.

"Oh no."

"What is it?"

"We're . . . in Hell."

"What?! But how?"

"That light from before . . . that emanated from Soul Edge. It must've been the one that took us here."

"Wait. What about my siblings? And the Empress?"

**"You two are worried about those weaklings, when you should be worried about yourself?"**

They both turned around and could not believe what they saw. It was Soul Edge, floating high in the air with its eyes wide open and staring at them. Below it was the dead body of Night Terror.

**"Those souls of those three pathetic humans will not satisfy my thirst. They are just too weak. You two, on the other hand, have very strong souls. They'll taste very good."**

Cassandra drew her sword. "Like hell! We won't give up our souls to you! You won't be stealing innocent lives anymore!"

**"Hehehe. Quite a feisty little girl you are. But can you two stand up to me . . . in my true form!?"**

Suddenly, the sword glowed brighter. Then, Night Terror's body was lifted towards Soul Edge, and when they met, they were glowing even brighter, blinding Cassandra and Siegfried. When the light cleared, they looked at gasped instantly. What they saw appeared as a man, but was all covered in flames. His white eyes were monstrous and frightening to look at.

Siegfried shook his head in disbelief. "It . . . can't be . . . Inferno?!"

The monster gave a frightening chuckle. **"How has it been, Siegfried? Seven years. Hehehe. You don't know how long I've been waiting for this one moment. You've seemed to have gotten stronger, but I have gotten even stronger. You may have defeated me the last time we fought, but this time, I shall be the one who shall emerge victorious!"**

Siegfried looked down for a moment. Then he took his stance, readying the spirit sword. "I won't let you get away with this. You are the last part of my unforgivable past that I must eliminate! I swear for the sake of the ones I love, I will defeat you once and for all!"

Inferno summoned Soul Edge, which was more horrifying looking than before. **"Bring it on! With the power of Soul Edge, I shall devour your soul, and the darkness shall conquer all!"**

The monster flew down towards them while the knight charged at him. The battle then began.

They did a few swings, blocking the attacks from each other in the process. Inferno then jumped over Siegfried and kicked at him. The knight quickly dodged back and counter attacked with a charged slash. Inferno couldn't move away in time, and Siegfried landed an attack. In an instant, flames gushed out of his wound and spread on the ground.

The monster looked down at his wound, then looked back up at the knight and smirked. He charged at Siegfried and rapidly twirled in the air. The knight managed to block the attack, but he was knocked away and landed on the ground. Inferno came upon him, ready to deliver another devastating attack. Suddenly, Cassandra jumped over her husband and blocked the attack with her shield. As they stayed that way for a moment, Inferno saw the flames of courage burning within the girl's eyes.

"**Hmph. You're pretty brave, girl. But that alone won't defeat me!"**

He backed away and began slashing at her. Cassandra quickly cart-wheeled and back-flipped backwards, dodging all the attacks. After she quickly landed on her feet, she sprinted towards Inferno and rapidly slashed at the monster. He blocked each attack, and then somersaulted in front of her, kicking her high into the air. He jumped towards her and slashed at her, sending her flying and landing hard on the ground on her side. Inferno then dived down and charged Soul Edge for another slash, but Siegfried quickly stepped between them and slashed at the monster with a charged Soul Calibur, flinging him away.

Cassandra quickly got up and joined her husband. After charging up their weapons, they charged up to Inferno, who was still recovering from the last attack. Taking the monster by surprise, the Athenian and the knight began slashing at him quickly from all directions. Then Cassandra kicked him up into the air, and Siegfried followed by twirling Soul Calibur and rapidly slashing Inferno even more. The knight then lifted the spirit sword over his head. His wife joined up with him, raising her sword over her head. Then in unity, they slashed their swords at the monster, knocking him hard to the ground. Flames that gushed from his wounds spread wild all over the place.

As Cassandra and Siegfried landed safely on the ground, they saw Inferno as he slowly got up. He gave a frightening chuckle, which the two warriors questioned.

"**Hehehe. HAHAHAHAHA! Is this all you can do? Is this the best you two got? I can barely even feel the pain. This form is even far from my true power!"**

Suddenly, he raised Soul Edge high, and in an instant, all of the flames on the ground rushed towards the evil sword and danced around it. Then Inferno pointed the blade at Cassandra and Siegfried, and the flames charged at them. Before the two warriors could react, the flames surrounded them, forming a sphere of fire. Neither of them could move, for some sort of force was holding them down. Before they knew it, they were lifted high into the air. Then Inferno flew up to them and began rapidly slashing at them from all directions. With each attack, he became faster. Finally, he flew over them, charging up the evil sword. Then the monster brought down his sword, delivering a near fatal attack. The blast destroyed the sphere of flames and knocked Siegfried and Cassandra far away.

Inferno landed on the ground and looked out to the two warriors. They were still alive, but they were both drenched in the blood of their wounds. **"Look at yourselves. You both couldn't even stand to my true power. Now, you can't even get up. Why don't you just let me eat you both? I'll give you a swift and painless death, and you two can die together."**

Cassandra looked out to her husband. The left side of her face was hurt the most so she could only see with her right eye. With the strength she had, she slowly crawled towards Siegfried. The knight opened his eyes with sadness and hopelessness.

"I'm sorry. I guess . . . this is the end . . . for us . . ."

His wife shook her head. "We can't it end like this! We promised Hilde, Sophitia, Lucius, and everyone that we'll all live in a world free of evil and full of happiness." She then weakly grabbed his hand with hers. "No matter what, we can't give up!"

Siegfried looked into eyes and saw the courage and determination that he always saw within her. Even in her darkest hour, she wasn't afraid. "Cassandra . . ."

Suddenly, the two were surrounded in a white shimmering light, which caught Inferno by surprise. **"WHAT?! What is this?!"**

Cassandra and Siegfried looked up and saw Hermes. "Young and brave warriors, you must not falter. For you two are the ones destined to free this world from the terror of the evil sword. Therefore, for one last time, the Gods of Olympus shall give you the power to dispel the evil that threatens the earth! Now, get up, and end this nightmare!"

In an instant, all of their wounds were healed. No scar or cut of blood was on their armor. Then the knight and the Athenian got up, readying their weapons as they were charged with the power of the Gods. Siegfried then pointed Soul Calibur at Inferno. "You really think that we'll give up that easily? Cassandra and I have loved ones back home, and we're planning on going back to them. So we'll make sure that we finish you off, once and for all!"

He then turned to his wife. "You're ready?"

Cassandra nodded. "Let's finish this, together!"

Then they charged at Inferno. The monster smirked and readied Soul Edge, but then gasped as he saw his opponents suddenly glow and ran faster.

"_**What's going on?! Is that . . . the power of the Gods?!"**_

Suddenly, they both jumped over Inferno and came down on him, stabbing their charged weapons into the ground. This caused the monster to be flung up high into the air. Then Cassandra and Siegfried jumped at him and began swiftly slashing him from all directions. Then they flew even higher above him. They nodded at each other and pointed their weapons down at Inferno together, side by side. Then they dived down towards Inferno, surrounding themselves in a brilliant white light. In an instant, they slashed Inferno with a devastating attack. Then the two warriors landed safely on the ground, leaving the monster high in the air. As they looked up, they saw that Inferno's body was beginning to crack. White lights were beginning to pierce his body from the inside.

"**Th-this can't be happening! No! No!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"**

In an instant, Inferno exploded, and the light blinded Cassandra and Siegfried for a moment. When it faded, Soul Edge landed on the ground, and its evil power vanished.

Cassandra wondered, "Is it over?"

Siegfried shook his head. "Not yet. There's still one more thing that needs to be done."

The knight went over to Soul Edge and readied Soul Calibur to pierce the sword. But before he could stab the evil sword, Cassandra stopped him. "Wait. Let me help you."

"Cassandra?"

She gave him a smirk. "I can't let you have all the credit, can I?"

Siegfried looked at her blankly for a moment, and then chuckled. "Alright. Let's do this."

Cassandra nodded and grabbed hold of the sword. Then, with all of their strength, they drove Soul Calibur into the eye of Soul Edge. Suddenly, there was a great flash of light, and Hermes appeared before them again.

"Well done. Now that you two have destroyed the evil, the two swords may now rest in peace, and they shall never rise again from their slumber."

In an instant, the Soul swords vanished, and Hermes faded from their sight. Then the light faded, and Cassandra and Siegfried suddenly realized that they weren't in Hell anymore. Somehow, they made it back to their own world, outside Ostrheinsburg.

Cassandra looked around in amazement. "No way! We made it back!"

She then ran up to Siegfried and hugged him tightly. The knight hugged her back, and they stayed that way for a long time. As they departed, the knight looked into his wife's eyes.

"Thank you. For everything."

Suddenly, they heard the shout of a young man. "Sis! Sir Schtauffen!"

They turned towards the castle and saw Lucius, riding on his stallion towards them. When he got near them, he jumped off and ran to them. He hugged Cassandra and tears of joy ran down his face.

"I can't believe it! You made it back!"

"You better believe it bro!"

Suddenly, Hilde and Sophitia joined up with them on their horses. After they jumped off, Hilde hugged Siegfried while Sophitia hugged her sister.

"Oh Cassandra! Thank goodness you're safe!"

When they departed, Hilde asked Siegfried and Cassandra, "Is it all over?"

The knight nodded. "Yes. It's done."

The Empress then smiled as she looked to the sunlight sky. "At long last, the peace that we have all dreamed of . . . has finally arrived."

They all joined her in looking upwards as white doves flew over them. The war was finally over.

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Alrighty. The last chapter should be coming real soon. After that, I'll upload Dead Fantasy: The Monk's Story and What to Fight For. Til' next time!


	14. Hope for Tomorrow

Alright, here's the end of this great tale. This pretty much wraps things up. Enjoy everyone!

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Epilogue: Hope for Tomorrow

After Siegfried and Cassandra reunited with their loved ones, Empress Hilde held a grand feast in Vienna in celebration of the defeat of the Ostrheinsburg army. All of the residents of both the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire were invited, including Sultan Sophitia and Lucius. There was so much food, music, dancing, and laughter. Some of the people personally thanked Hilde for giving the land peace, but she had to repeatedly tell them that it was really Siegfried and Cassandra who truly gave the land peace. It kind of annoyed her a bit at first. Before the party was over, she and Sophitia announced to all that they have created a permanent alliance with each other, so they can all live in peace from that day forth. All of the people responded with shouts of joy. The peace they have long anticipated had finally arrived.

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**One year later**

A few weeks after the battle against the Ostrheinsburg army, Hilde declared Wolfkrone as the empire's capital from that day forth because that was her home. The residents, of course, respected her decision.

Siegfried and Hilde stood on the balcony of the Wolfkrone castle. They were waiting outside for Cassandra, for she was giving birth at the moment. She became pregnant a few months after the final battle. When she felt that it was time, the local doctor was immediately summoned to help her with the delivering. He also asked for help from Anina and Bertha, who both became permanent maidservants for Cassandra.

As the knight looked out at the horizon, Hilde noticed the worried expression on his face. "Siegfried, she'll be fine. She has a strong will, and she'll make it through."

"I know, but . . . I just can't help but worry . . . that I'll lose her . . . I'm afraid that I'll lose both her and the child."

"Why are you so worried about that?"

"Hilde . . . Cassandra was the first person in my life that gave me love that I've never experienced before. She means the whole world to me. I don't want to live on without her."

"I don't quite get it . . ."

Siegfried turned to the empress. "Maybe if you made up your mind on which noble you want to marry, then you will."

Hilde gave a small chuckle. "It's hard for me to decide. I mean, all of the nobles have started proposing to me shortly after our last battle. I don't want to marry them if all they want is power. I want to have the experience that you and Cassandra have. But none of the suitors seem to offer that."

"Your Highness, it's been about nine months, so I think you should have a good idea of who to choose."

They both laughed at the subject, when suddenly, Bertha came our running to them. "Sir Schtauffen! Your wife has given birth to a son!"

As soon as he heard those words, Siegfried immediately rushed from the balcony and to his chambers, with Hilde and Bertha following behind him. When he reached it, Anina opened the door, and the doctor slowly walked out, with a crying newborn baby in his arms.

"Congratulations, Sir Schtauffen. You and Lady Cassandra have been blessed with a son. And don't worry about your wife. She's doing just fine."

He then gently placed the baby within Siegfried's arm. The knight looked down to his son, who had just stopped crying, and began falling asleep. He was just so adorable.

Hilde walked up to his side and looked down at the child's face. "He looks a lot like you."

Anina giggled. "Really, Your Highness? I say that he looks more like his mother!"

They all burst into laughter, when suddenly, a faint voice came from the room. "Siegfried . . ."

The knight turned and saw that it was Cassandra. He then turned towards everyone else. "Can you give us a moment?"

Everyone nodded, and Siegfried entered the room with the doctor closing the door behind him.

Cassandra looked a little bit on the pale and weak side, but she still had a smile on her face. When Siegfried was at the side of the bed, her gently laid their son into his wife's arm and gave her a small kiss on the forehead.

"Are you feeling alright?"

She slowly nodded. "Yeah . . . I'll be fine . . . so don't worry. Anyways, what name are you giving him?"

Siegfried stroked his son's forehead with his hand for a moment before giving his answer. "Frederick."

"You're father's name? Why that one?"

"Somehow . . . I see a part of my father in him."

"Then I won't argue with that. In fact . . . I think it's the perfect name."

Siegfried smiled at Cassandra and gave her a small kiss on the lips. Then they looked back down at Frederick, who was still sleeping in her arms.

* * *

**2 weeks later**

As soon as Cassandra was able to get up again, Hilde threw a grand party in honor of the newborn Frederick. Sophitia, Lucius, Rothion, and the twins were invited to see the new member of the family, whom they welcomed with opened arms. Everyone gave Siegfried and Cassandra wonderful gifts for them to use.

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**Next Morning**

Cassandra stood on the plains outside the Wolfkrone castle, wearing a white flowing gown, with the young Frederick in her arms. She felt the cool breeze in the air, heard the chirping of the birds, and bathed herself in the radiant sun. She now began her life as a mother, and Siegfried as a father. No matter what happens. She knew that they will all make it through . . . as a family.

Suddenly, someone approached them from behind. Cassandra turned and saw that it was Siegfried, who was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and dark brown pants. Gone were the days of fighting. So there was no need for armor.

"I knew I'd find you two here."

Cassandra giggled a bit as he walked up to them and wrapped his arms above her chest.

"I can't believe that it's already been a week since Frederick was born. Yet I still feel that I don't have all the qualities of being a good father. Maybe it's because I didn't have much quality time with my own father when I was younger."

The Athenian looked out into the horizon in front of her. "You know . . . I still don't feel fully prepared of being a mother either, even though I received a lot of advice from my mother when she was still alive. But you know, she told me once that if there was something hard that you need to accomplish, you'll pull through as long as you have loved ones by your side. So even though being a mother would probably be hard for me, I won't be afraid . . . because I have you and all of our loved ones beside me."

Siegfried put his arms down and walked up to Cassandra's side. "Then I shall do the same as you. I'll have you and our family and friends as my pillars of support, and live on through the hardships. Thank you."

They stayed that way for a moment, staring in each other's eyes with a smile, until Siegfried finally spoke up again. "I love you Cassandra, so very much. I'll always will."

"I love you as well Siegfried, dearly. And I too will love you . . . forever."

Then they kiss each other on the lips. When they departed, they looked up to the sunlit sky, ready to move on towards tomorrow.

The End

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Well there you have it. I hope that all of you have truly enjoyed this story. Next on my schedule is to update Dead Fantasy: The Monk's Story. And if I'm not mistaken, Monty Oum's gonna release a few more episodes next month. Can't wait for that. Also look out for What to Fight For. I'll start updating that on too.


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